Plans submitted to breathe new life into outdated community hall in Southwell
An application has been submitted to transform a community hall into a three-bedroom home.
Newark and Sherwood District Council have received an application to convert Easthorpe Community Hall, Southwell, in to a residential building.
The applicant, The Easthorpe Common Lands Foundation, is a charity supporting the residents of Easthorpe and has operated since 1909.
The hall was initially a small school, and was later changed to a community hall.
With a maximum capacity of 25 and a small room measuring 8.2m by 4.6m the hall is no longer of use to the community and was closed in 2020.
The justification for change of use submitted with the application stated the hall's small size, dated facilities, inadequate parking and the ready availability of better-suited alternatives meant that it struggled to secure bookings.
Trustee Roger Blaney said: "The hall has no economically useful purpose at present."
Multiple other community halls and meeting spaces are available for hire in Southwell, including the WI hall and the Southwell Town Council's council chamber and committee room.
Mr Blaney also explained the hall also posed a financial problem to the charity as repairs to the building cost £24,000 in one year — £4,000 more than the charity's total income.
The application seeks permission for the renovation of the hall to create one three-bedroom house on the site.
If the application is successful, the hall will be sold by the foundation, and the money generated from the sale will support the foundation's charitable work in Easthorpe.
Roger Blaney, as both trustee of The Easthorpe Common Lands Foundation and chairman of the NSDC planning committee, will not take part in the committee's decision regarding this application.
WAITING FOR PIC
