Community Hall Consultation – Your Questions Answered

In recent years, the number of community facilities for residents in the Moor Park, Eastbury and Rickmansworth area has reduced.

Since BCC was created in 2017, we have been searching for a suitable property in the whole of Batchworth to act as both Community Hall and office for this Council.

This building will provide a valuable community facility that will benefit all local residents.

The hall BCC is proposing to buy is Cloisters Hall in Rickmansworth.  This is situated on The Cloisters in the town and is just off the High Street.  Cloisters Hall has served the community since the 1960’s and has been out of use for a while now.  BCC’s intention is to create a community hub as well as offices in this building in a prime position for the use of all our residents in Batchworth.

Yes, it is easily walkable for many residents and cyclable for all who enjoy travelling by bike.  It is also situated close to bus stops and London Underground.

There is parking at the hall, with on street parking and car parks nearby.

Yes, residents and local community groups will be able to book the hall at a residents’ rate. As well as community and meeting space, we are also planning to have on-site catering facilities making the hall more flexible for people to use.

We are delighted that a number of community groups have already approached us to find out more about how they might be able to use the building.

The hall area will have catering facilities, audio visual equipment, removable tables and chairs and a large, flexible space. Examples of the things that it could be used for include:

• Adult educational classes
• Exercise, relaxation and meditation classes as well as general well-being forums
• Dining and lunch clubs
• Toddler groups
• Self-help groups
• Clubs such as bridge and dominoes
• Youth groups
• Community evenings for Batchworth residents
• Shopping events, craft fairs and local business showcases.

In addition, BCC will be based there, thus reducing our current office rental costs and providing a regular on-site presence, which will help with the security of the building.

The hall can hold approximately 100 people.

Opening hours will depend on occupancy and bookings.  It is our intention to make the building available seven days a week. We will aim for opening hours of between 9am – 10pm with flexibility for people to apply for extensions.

Rental rates for the size of the space that we need to support our community are very high. In addition, the available accommodation is not configured to act as a community hall and there is no certainty of tenure after the lease expires.  We do not believe this offers residents the best value for money.

In addition, once we have bought the hall, it will remain as a community asset.

We are running this consultation as we will have to borrow money from central Government to top up the funds we have available to buy the hall.  The consultation is one of the conditions of the loan being awarded by the Government.

The loan will be similar to a mortgage. A portion of the mortgage payments will be paid by increasing the BCC tax by approximately 39 pence per month for a BAND D property.

At the same time, residents may see a decrease in the tax collected from Batchworth residents by Three Rivers District Council (TRDC). This is because we will be the providers of the Community Hall rather than TRDC.

BCC already pays rental for offices and associated costs and for the hire of meeting rooms so we will save these costs if BCC buys the hall.  There will be other costs for running the hall but our business case also sets out our expected revenue to help offset some of the costs. This business case will be assessed by the Secretary of State to see if it is viable.

No. This hall will be an additional community facility and will in fact be preserving one of our community halls.

No. The proposal to buy a community hall will not affect the normal running of Watersmeet or what it currently offers residents.

We have been exploring this since 2017 and have looked at all the options that have been suggested, as well as other options. Some are not suitable as they are on Green Belt Land and in some cases, would result in the loss of existing and much-loved community facilities.

Others would not allow us the flexibility to operate in the way we would want to, in order to be able to offer residents the maximum benefits. These include restrictions on days the building could be used, times and what the building can be used for.  We want this to be as flexible as possible so our residents and community groups get the maximum benefit from it.

Other suggestions that have been put forward would be too expensive and increase current costs.

The consultation closes on Tuesday,10th October.  If the majority of residents vote for this new community facility, we will then start the process of buying the hall.

If the majority of residents vote for us not to proceed, we will not be able to apply for the fixed rate government loan option for 35 years’ duration.

Residents can vote in two ways:

1. Online here or info can be found on the BCC website via the pop up.
2. Complete the form printed on the leaflet delivered through residents’ doors or pick up a copy of the consultation at the library or BCC offices. This can be dropped in by hand to our offices or posted. Please remember the stamp.