On this page you will find questions and answers to the many questions we are receiving about the building design, the construction period and beyond. Use the links below to go to each of the questions. If you find that your question is not there please send your question to info@winspace.org.uk
- 1. When is the construction going to start for the New Building?
- 2. How long will the construction take?
- 3. Why aren’t you building the big hall?
- 4. Can we still use the main building during the construction?
- 5. Can we use the Annexe during the construction?
- 6. Will we still have access to the field from the car park?
- 7. Will you be closing the footpath?
- 8. Where is the New building going to be?
- 9. How big are the rooms in the new building?
- 10. Does the new building have a kitchen?
- 11. How much storage will there be
- 12. Why don’t you have the event hall on the ground floor?
- 13. Could there be more toilets on the 1st Floor, are there enough overall in the building and why not just have unisex toilets?
- 14. When does Phase 2 start (Refurb of Old School)?
- 15. What about storage during the Construction?
- 16. How much of the green field does the building take up?
- 17. How much will be the building cost?
- 18. How much car parking will there be during the construction and after construction?
- 19. Will the new building be hidden from the main road?
- 20. Are you selling the old school?
- 21. Will my group still be able to use the WCA during the construction?
- 22. Will it cost a lot more to rent rooms in the new building?
- 23. Why aren’t you discussing options with the Church?
- 24. When do you expect Phase 3 to be built?
- 25. Have you got enough funding in place?
- 26. Are you protected from raising costs of construction?
- 27. What are you doing about flooding that occurs?
- 28. Will I still be able to get second hand books?
1. When is the construction going to start for the New Building?
Our programme plans are targeting demolition of the Youth Club and Art Shed in August with a first hole in the ground late August or Early September.
2. How long will the construction take?
We have had an initial estimate of 45 weeks to completion. This depends on material supplies and weather conditions. We would love to have an opening ceremony during the Village Show September 2025.
3. Why aren’t you building the big hall?
When we had the building costed in July 2023 it clearly showed that the whole building (two wings and an adjoining foyer) was not affordable. If we just built the big hall (north wing) we would still need toilets, kitchen etc and we would have ended up with less rooms than we currently have. A decision was made in July that a phased approach to the build was the best way forward, building the south wing first. However, we will still have a good sized event hall by fitting out the upstairs of the south wing. This was not in our original plans but is a more cost effective approach to providing a large hall than building the separate north wing.
4. Can we still use the main building during the construction?
Definitely, the main building will still be fully functional during the construction.
5. Can we use the Annexe during the construction?
We are very hopeful that this will be the case. This depends on the H&S requirements of the construction company. The Construction area will be the far side of the Art Shed. Access to the Annexe is likely to be a walk way along the fence line. We are planning to stop using the annexe (and remove it) once phase 2 (old building refurbishment) has been completed.
6. Will we still have access to the field from the car park?
If we are still able to use the Annexe there will be access to the field. However, some of the field will be used as part of the construction site.
7. Will you be closing the footpath?
No, full Right of Way access between the Millennium Green and Fire station will be maintained.
8. Where is the New building going to be?
The New Building will be at the rear of the Youth Club and Art Shed – see are website for details
9. How big are the rooms in the new building?
We are going to have 3 rooms: a meeting room (45m2 – ½ the size of the main hall) an activity hall (70m2 – same size as the main hall) and an event hall on the first floor (140m2 – twice the size of the main hall). In addition to the 3 rooms, we are also planning a foyer space for circulation community space and maybe exhibitions (around 70m2) , kitchens, Parish Council office and office space. We have also designed in storage, 2 disable toilets plus the normal WCs, sized suitably for the use of the building. There will be a lift to the 1st floor as well as stairs.
10. Does the new building have a kitchen?
We’re planning a large kitchen with external access on the ground floor with a secondary kitchen upstairs adjacent to the Event Hall. We are currently in the process of having these specified.
11. How much storage will there be
We are planning as much storage as possible, however the more storage we have the less space we will have for activities. Each room will have its own storage space but significant consolidation of items stored at the WCA will need to occur. This will mean there may be the need for User groups to share common items such as catering equipment and tables. We also have not ruled out the construction of external storage such as a wooden shed which could hold items for external use. The Phase 2 youth centre will be designed to have a lot of storage but details for this have yet to be finalised.
12. Why don’t you have the event hall on the ground floor?
Having the event hall on the ground floor would mean either main toilets or kitchen would have to go up stairs. Although we do not have a single large hall on the ground floor, we still have a very large floor area if you combine the Activity Hall and Foyer and the Meeting Room. These could be booked together for a function, with the Event Space upstairs, still being able to be used independently.
13. Could there be more toilets on the 1st Floor, are there enough overall in the building and why not just have unisex toilets?
The overall provision of toilets for females, males and accessible toilets in the new building exceeds government standards. In our design we have: 4 female cubicles within the female toilets; and 3 urinals and 1 cubicles within the male toilets. In addition to this we have an accessible toilet on the ground and first floor and a further unisex toilet in the activity room. Currently the government is bringing forward the requirement to have single sex toilets available, in all public buildings and also a number in the community have expressed their desire for this. We believe the current design provides the best solution for all. It could be possible to provide a further unisex toilet upstairs, although this would be at the expense of event space and currently the architects are looking at this.
14. When does Phase 2 start (Refurb of Old School)?
During the building of Phase 1 we will start to look at the details of the design and costs of refurbishing the old building. We have planning permission to do this. We will look for additional grants and as the project progresses, will have a better idea of the cost of Phase 1 and what money we have left in the bank. The refurbishment will start as soon as we have enough funding and once phase 1 is complete. This work is on our radar and is really important to us and to the WCA vision.
15. What about storage during the Construction?
When we sell the headmaster house, the garage will also be sold. During the construction phase we will bring in a storage container as a temporary measure. We will also build a set of storage cupboards along the end of the main hall which will use up around 0.6m (2ft) of its length.
16. How much of the green field does the building take up?
The footprint of phase 1 building, including the foyer has the same footprint as the current out-buildings, therefore there will be no net loss of green space to buildings.
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17. How much will be the building cost?
Our £2M budget is based on a construction company’s estimation given to us from our Architects in August 23. However, the exact cost of the building will depend on the quotes which we get in (hopefully in May). We’re planning a ‘competitive’ tender process and will be sending a list of requirements to 4 or 5 selected companies at the end of March.
18. How much car parking will there be during the construction and after construction?
Currently we can’t answer this question until we start talking to and appointing contractors. We are afraid it will be their call on the amount of space they require and for safety reasons, the turning spaces for delivery lorries. We will of-course try and keep as much of the car park functioning as possible. There could be times when the car park will be closed during major deliveries or if a crane is operating. If this is going to happen we will try and give plenty of notice to users. It is likely that a walkway to the building(s) from the carpark will be set up to keep lorries away from members of the public. After the construction we are planning around 60 spaces (at best we have around 45/50 spaces today). We are planning for 2 EV charging points and a walkway between the 2 buildings.
19. Will the new building be hidden from the main road?
Initially the new building will be a little obscured from the main road. However once Phase 2 has been completed the ladies toilets and boiler room will be removed leaving a clear view of what we expect to be a fantastic new building.
20. Are you selling the old school?
No, we are only selling the headmasters house & garage and have applied for a change of use back to residential, just to this part of the front building. The old school remains firmly in our plans as a Youth Centre at the heart of the village. We are planning to put the Headmasters House on the market in May.
21. Will my group still be able to use the WCA during the construction?
Yes, during the construction we will only be removing the Art Shed and Youth Club. To provide more space we will be dividing the Annexe into 3 sections: a lobby and 2 spaces to the left and right of the toilets. This will happen most likely during the summer to keep disruption to a minimum. It does mean that there will be some minor disruption or slight adjustments to times or size of space, but it’s important to remember that this is only during the construction phase of the building, after which, we will have a lot more space for everyone to use.
22. Will it cost a lot more to rent rooms in the new building?
In our business plan (which can be viewed on our website) we have looked at different pricing structures for each of the rooms. Generally, there will be a small increase in rental costs, but the new rooms will be bigger, fresher and much better equipped. However, we have compared our projected prices to other local halls and you will be pleased to know that we will remain competitive.
23. Why aren’t you discussing options with the Church?
When the Church obtained their outline planning permission in October 23 we had already committed to a phased building approach and were working hard to ensure that we could start building in September 24 after 10 years of promises to the Community. Although not now in our immediate plans, Phase 3 of our vision, the north wing , will continue to have planning permission. We see it as providing “future proofing” for the community should there be a need for more space. In the future, we would always listen to any group or organisation, with ideas to develop phase 3, if the proposals brought funding and it was in the interest of the community.
24. When do you expect Phase 3 to be built?
The likely cost of phase 3 is going to be in excess of £1,000,000 therefore a further fund raising campaign will be needed. However, the Phase 1 building is being designed and specified so that Phase 3 could be ‘bolted’ on to the foyer. This means that if there is a demand and the finance is available it could be built. At the moment the WCA are unable to set any timescales for this as our focus is purely on Phase1 & 2.
25. Have you got enough funding in place?
Currently, as of today, we do not have enough funding in place to deliver what you see on the slides and posters. However, we have a high level of confidence that we are 85% funded with more announcements coming very shortly. If we were still in this position, come Contract signature in early June, we would not commit to the complete build. If we were still 15% short we would look at a ‘reduced fit out’ of various rooms (eg 1st Floor Event Space) or limit the finish in the Foyer. This could save us around 10% on costs. Now that we have more certainty that the build is happening this year, we will be increasing our focus on local giving and hope the community and businesses will get us to full funding. We also have a few more grants in the pipeline. The biggest known -unknown is the cost of the build which will become more certain, once we go out to tender.
26. Are you protected from raising costs of construction?
We are planning a construction method called Design and Build. In this method a requirements document is written detailing everything down to the number of sockets in a room. The construction companies then tender and give us a fixed price for the complete construction. Therefore when we sign the construction contract (hopefully in June) we will know what it is going to cost us. However as part of our business plan we will ensure we have a contingency fund just in case we come across issues, such as poor soil conditions requiring additional foundations. Any money left in our contingency pot will go into Phase 2.
27. What are you doing about flooding that occurs?
Our flooding strategy is in three parts, ensure the drains work for us during normal rain fall, make sure the new building is flood resistant (build it slightly higher than the surrounding land) and finally ensure any water entering the site is directed away and onto the field. As our phase 1 roof area is no larger than we currently have and we are fitting a 30,000lt soak away (6 times a typical 4 bed house) we feel we have a robust strategy. The drainage designs assumes effects of climate change rain fall, with an additional 30% for good measure.
28. Will I still be able to get second hand books?
We are planning for second hand books to be sold in the new centre, this is likely from folding storage units in the Foyer. However due to the cost of creating the new building at £3000/m2 the amount of storage available for books (we currently have ½ a garage and a large store room) will be more limited. We are working with the book team on the transition and will maintain the amount of storage currently during the construction phase.