Acle Parish Council

Background information;

The Parish Council are actively looking into options for the replacement of the Fletcher Room Building.  The Parish Council has approached a number of contractors to get an idea of the cost for a new building, both for hire and for purchase. This cost came in higher than previously expected. The Parish Council prepared its budget in December, and it was at this point that it became apparent there would not be enough money in the Parish reserves to fund the build. As a result the Parish Council have reviewed alternative options of available grants and a government loan; however, both these processes will add a significant amount of time to the project. Initially it was hoped the build could be achieved by Summer 2024 but due to having to fund the project with alternative provisions this will not be possible. It was presented to the Pre-School with options to complete a build during term time, where they would need to relocate or close for at least half a term, or to have the build in Summer 2025, the latter is the preferred option.

Upon discussion with the Pre-School, there were a number of issues raised about the building that could be improved, to ensure the next 18 months is as safe as possible and attractive for any hirers, repairs are booked for the Fletcher Rooms during the February half term holidays.

 

Processes that need to take place for the replacement building to happen;

Lease – Norfolk County Council own the land, and the Parish Council lease this land from them. This lease is due to end in 2026. To be able to apply for funding (loan and most grants), there needs to be minimum of 10 years left on the lease, therefore a lease renewal must be completed before the respective funding routes can be applied for. 

Planning – Broadland District Council have confirmed that the new building does need planning permission, and again this is a term of applying for funding that at least Outline Planning consent is in place. 

Both the lease renewal and the planning application steps have been started already and are being worked on concurrently, and we expect these to take around 3 months.

Funding – To apply for a Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) loan that is available to Town & Parish Councils. Public consultation has to take place, and this must last for minimum of 1 month. The application to decision stage is currently stated as 3 months. The majority of grants that the Parish Council will be applying for to reduce the loan amount are only considered on a quarterly basis, or 3 times a year, and therefore again this process will take some time.

Tender – due to the cost of this project, we will have to put the contract out to tender, and after the deadline for applications the Council will need to consider all the designs and costs that come in to make a decision.

Full planning permission will need to be completed with the full agreed design.

The build itself will likely take around 8-10 weeks.

The report from the Structural Engineer who completed a check on the Fletcher Rooms in November 2023

Fletcher Rooms report

The Fletcher Rooms is a community building on Fletcher Way. A lot of residents will know this as Acle Pre-School, who hire the building during the day in term time.

Acle Parish Council lease the land from Norfolk County Council, and own the building. The Parish Council are looking at the possibilities of replacing the current 1 classroom modular building for a slightly larger 2 classroom type building. There are many steps that this process requires, and this webpage will be updated regularly.