The Dersingham Village Centre and Village Hall

The new Dersingham Village Centre and Village Hall

Dersingham is a large village of around 5000 population, but it is unusual in never having had a village hall. The church hall of St Nicholas parish church has generally adopted the role of village hall, but there are limitations to the events that can take place there and the hall itself is old and in need of substantial repair and refurbishment. A few years ago, St Nicholas PCC offered the Church Hall site to the Parish Council for the purpose of constructing a new hall, and after planning and consultation this is the route that is being taken. The new hall will reflect its position as a hub for the village by being named The Dersingham Village Centre.

Facilities

The new Dersingham Village Centre will enable a large variety of services and activities to take place. These will include job clubs, children’s centre sessions, weekend kids club, lunch/tea drop-ins, health related sessions, as well as providing a large hall for social functions, wedding receptions, conferences, training etc. The new building will use the latest technology to be energy efficient and easy to maintain. The design enables the rooms to be used by different groups at the same time.

The Dersingham Village Centre Association

The Association is a recognised partner of the Parish Council in the project, and is taking the lead with fundraising. It will be this group which takes on the management of the new building, leased from the Parish council at a peppercorn rent.

Building will be starting soon

Depending upon completion of the legal work as well as agreeing the final costs with the builders we anticipate that the build will commence in autumn 2017. The current church hall has now been closed in anticipation of the new build.

The Parish Council has a budget of £875,000.00 which has to include professional fees. Our application for funds from The Big Lottery has been successful and we have been allocated £550,000 towards the project. There have been some minor tweaks to the plans to reduce costs, and some elements (car park surface, fencing, signage) will not form part of the initial build. Other items (kitchen, lift to the first floor, and photovoltaic cells) will be funded with separate grants. Also, the budget does not include furniture and equipment, so we are fundraising for these and applying for small grants.

The car park will be unavailable during the build period, but we hope to have the overflow parking area in use as soon as possible, after some minor works are carried out. The footpath across the site has been closed by the County Council so there will be no access via the gate from the Pastures. We do apologise for any inconvenience caused.

When can I book?

We anticpate that the new hall will open in late 2018. As soon as possible we will be publishing our hiring rates and conditions, but in the meantime anyone interested in booking the hall for an event or regular sessions can make enquiries via bookings@dersinghamvillagecentre.org.uk

Although there's still a lot to do, the new Village Centre is drawing nearer!