Surrey Community Hall & Houses
Work Stages 1 - 3
Client Surrey-based Community Trust
A project for a community trust in Surrey to build a community hall with enabling development. The trust were custodians of two central village sites (merged from two previous village trusts) - one an existing village hall reaching the end of its useful life, the second a vacant, derelict hall with an overgrown bowling green.
MAA worked closely with the trust and consultant team to develop the brief, and to subsequently provide a series of options to present to the community for feedback prior to Pre-Application.
Over 250 people attended the community consultations. Attendees were surveyed and were overwhelmingly in favour of one of the three primary option combinations. Using this option as the foundation for the Pre-Application, as well as other community feedback, the project was submitted for Pre-Application. Using both the Pre-Application feedback and further community input the current scheme was developed.
The village hall is retained on the first site – with a double height primary hall space, generous reception/breakout area with dual-access servery and a mezzanine above including a gallery area and smaller meeting rooms to diversify community use and activity. The site retained its current carparking provision, as well as access and egress, which was of critical importance to its direct neighbours.
On the second site are nine 2- and 3-bedroom family homes with on-site parking provision. The size, type and location of these homes on the second site was directly informed by the community consultation. On-street parking for the community was retained, and a pavement was introduced within the site boundary for safer pedestrian access.
Currently going through the planning process, the scheme aims to provide a purpose-built, robust, self-sufficient and timeless community asset for the village, supporting the strong existing community network, and village events, as well as much-needed new family homes for the area.
