Barnham community facility a step closer

Detailed planning permission is being sought by Barnham Parish Council for the 1.5m building on Murrell's Field.

The application also includes two terraces of four houses to replace the current village hall on Yapton Road and its car park.

The council has asked Arun District Council to back the approval in principle it gave in December 2007 for the community centre by agreeing to every aspect of the scheme.

Parish council chairman Cllr Mike Young said it was hoped that work on the community centre would begin within the three-year standard deadline imposed on planning permissions.

"We are going for permission so we can get a developer to build the houses because the money from them will constitute a major part of the funding for the centre," he explained.

Hopes were also high a lottery grant for a children's playground, trim trail and picnic area around the centre's grounds would be successful.

A further grant had also been sought to provide a multi-use games area.

If either of these were successful, the facilities they funded would be built straight away to show villagers that progress was being made.

A potential obstacle to the scheme, however, had appeared in the possibility of a nearby use being investigated for a location for travelling showpeople.

Cllr Young said he was hopeful this could be resolved once errors in the report which had put forward the site were realised.

The need for a new community centre in Barnham dates back to the formation of the Barnham Leisure Development Amenities Enterprise group in 1993.

Its original proposals for Murrell's Field behind the present, outdated hall from the 1930s have evolved into the present plan being put forward by the parish council.

There is overwhelming local support for the scheme to provide the only outdoor community leisure facilities for miles around.

Anthony Greenwood, the parish council's planning agent, tells Arun in a statement the proposed single storey community centre up to 8.3m high would be a suitable development for the location surrounded by housing and nurseries.

It would have a floor area of about 830sq m. "The layout of the buildings incorporates a pre-school play facility, changing rooms, a main hall area to be used for multi-purposes attached to a stage to be used for public performances.

"The main hall stage area is served by various storage rooms, a small bar and kitchen," he says.

"The main hall and stage are separated from the eastern element of the building which will comprise a kitchen, community hall, youth room, meeting area, reception/police room, parish council roon, doctor's surgery and first aid room, together with WCs and storage facilities."

He states that the proposed housing could be justified even though it would be just outside the built-up area boundary.

The two and three bedroom sizes of the houses would meet the needs of first-time buyers and families.

They would also be sustainable because of their proximity to the railway station and they made good use of a currently developed area, he added.

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