Public Consultation - Norman Wodson Pavilion Refurbishment

Norman Wodson Pavilion Refurbishment Program

Thundridge Parish Council is pleased to put forward our proposal to refurbish The Norman Wodson Pavilion. The Pavilion is owned by the Parish Council and has for many years been operated under lease as a private nursery. It also serves Ware Lions Junior Football Club (again under a lease arrangement) who have limited use of the pavilion along with the recreation space. As a consequence of the above arrangements, the facility serves many families from within our community and the local area, while also returning a net income for the Parish Council. The Pavilion building was gifted to the Council second hand and is now in excess of 50 years old. Not surprisingly, the cost of maintaining the building is increasing and it is also very thermally inefficient. Based on some inspections, the opportunity exists now to execute a refurbishment program thereby extending the buildings life by at least 25 years at a cost that is projected to be less than half of the price of replacing the building entirely (which is beyond the means of the Council). The building is therefore a valuable asset for the Council and the community alike and the Council has been planning for this expenditure since 2016 and has allocated income derived from the New Homes Bonus scheme (among other sources) for this project. The execution of a project of this type is always subject to input from the community and we are therefore opening a consultation period from now until the end of April 2022 and welcome your input. Attached to this summary, you will find a detailed business case which reviews multiple options which range from 'doing minimum', through 'refurbishment' (our proposed option), 'building replacement' or alternative community uses of the funds. If you would like to comment, please do so by e-mail to the Parish Clerk at the following address by the close of business on 29th April 2022 at: clerk@thundridgeparishcouncil.org.uk

The Council will also be working on a program to increase on-site parking capacity to minimise the impact of cars parking on the road during Ware Lions football matches. This will be subject to a separate public consultation and business case.