Member Article

New Village Hall for Repton

A new £753,000 village hall in Repton is due for completion this Summer.

The existing village hall on Askew Grove has been demolished and a new one is being built to create a modern facility offering a range of flexible and additional spaces.

The project team includes Armsons, the cost consultants and project managers based in Darley Abbey, bi Design Architecture Ltd who are based just a short distance from the village hall in Repton, civil & structural engineers SA Consulting, principal designers C J Consilium Ltd, M&E Consultants CJR Midlands and Burton-on-Trent-based contractor A&S Enterprises Ltd.

Repton Village Hall plays a key role in the heart of the community and has always hosted a variety of groups and activities for all ages. The new design will increase the scope and the hall team is already working on introducing new initiatives.

The original village hall in High Street opposite St Wystan’s School was destroyed by a fire in 1960 and replaced in 1970. The hall is run by the Repton Village Hall Management Committee and is an independent charity based on a trust dated from 1937.

The money has been raised by a huge effort from the appeals committee and previous donations from the Parish Council. Additional funding is coming from a public works loan which the Parish Council has taken out from the government in order to be able to make a grant of £415,000.

The Parish voted strongly in favour of this in a referendum in December 2017 and Repton Parish Council is one of the first Councils in Derbyshire to help a hall in this way. The loan is being repaid through an increase of £20 (for a band D level house) via the precept element in Council Tax.

Commenting on the project, Kyran Farrell, spokesperson for the Repton Village Hall Management Committee, said:

“This project has taken the effort of many people over quite a few years and it is great to see action on the ground now after the support the village has given, and the trust shown in us.

“The design is ambitious and needed the help of Mike Armson and his team to achieve the vision and yet be in budget. The last hall was only ever to have a short life; this one needs to last for 100 years and more. Now the build is up and running, we are under the wing of Sally Walters who is project managing, guiding us and keeping everyone on track.”

Sally Walters, director at Armsons, added:

“The new village hall in Repton is a very exciting project and everyone here at Armsons are proud to be a part of it. It’s an important community hub for the people of Repton with people of all ages being able to benefit from it.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Donna Hill .