Council reveals vision for community centre (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Council reveals vision for community centre

1:10pm Monday 8th February 2010 in

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PLANNING permission is being sought for a long-awaited community facility.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has lodged a planning application with its own planning department for a community centre in Rooksdown Avenue, on the Rooksdown estate, near the former Park Prewett psychiatric hospital.

A provisional decision date of Tuesday, February 16, has been set.

Documents attached to the application show that the area has lacked a facility since a major housing development began in 1997.

Thanks to a pot of money paid into by developers, a sum of £937,500 was secured in 2002 for the development.

Cash for the project has been delayed because it depended on developers building the 500th house out of a projected 1,250 – but there were also problems with the availability of land.

The agreement between developers and the borough council has been that the new community centre should be ready when the 750th new house is built.

The facility would be used by playgroups and for social events, weddings and parties, youth groups like Scouts and Cubs, and as an office base for a community police officer.

The plans show a crescent-shaped one-storey building with large windows and white rendering.

It would be located on the recreation ground area, opposite the site of the former Park Prewett hospital.

It would have a 480 square metre floor divided into space for young people, a main hall and an extra room.

A roof that juts out would create a covered play area for toddlers using the playgroup.