Memorial Hall and Corner House up for Sale ?

Wed 24 Apr 2013, 15:42

Thanks Edward. Just had a message from Ian saying he had been miss-quoted. Alarm bells rang when i saw the Gazette's article Lol

Wed 24 Apr 2013, 14:38

Hello Ray - I wonder if you know Ian, or if you were at any of the recent public meetings. Since I have known Ian for many years, and since he was on the Town Council for some time, I find it unlikely that he would have used the expression 'village hall'. I think it much more likely that he referred to 'Memorial Hall', or 'the hall', and that the reporter or a sub-editor later sought to add clarity by changing this, not realising that it was inaccurate.

Wed 24 Apr 2013, 11:02

Just read an article in this weeks Witney Gazette where Gifford Trustee Ian Cox is quoted as saying "At the moment badminton is played at the village hall but you cant hit the shuttlecock very high because of the low ceiling". Now if the Gifford Trustees don't know that charlbury is a town not a village, what hope is there. I give up. Lol Maybe Mr Cox could clarify his statement.

Sun 7 Apr 2013, 12:19

I am amazed that there has been not one posting since the Annual Parish Meeting on Friday. Ray Marshall has made the point that the town should not be cajoled into selling existing facilities before any new scheme comes to fruition. The Town Council's Chairman stated categorically at the Parish Meeting that neither the War Memorial Hall nor the Corner House would be sold. In spite of that the Meeting accepted a motion for the Town Council to further investigate the facilities available in Charlbury; are they saying after all this time in which The Gifford Trust have been in dialogue with them they have not considered this before? To me this appears to be a procrastination too far which may jeopardise the OCC funding. If it is accepted by the TC that the WMH and CH are not to be sold then the complimentary facilities should be proceeded with without delay. Lastly it was quite clear that over 90% of those present at the Gifford Trust meeting were of the same opinion. (I am a member of the CH & WMH Management Committee but this is a personal statement).

Wed 3 Apr 2013, 13:15

I would like to echo Harriet Baldwin's comment about providing something to replace the sports and social club - I hope they have not been ignored in the new plans.

Mon 1 Apr 2013, 22:15

Should also add that when i was young, several pubs had function rooms including the White Hart and the Bell Hotel where meetings and even dances were held. Some meetings were even held in the Town Hall Cinema on a Wednesday when it was closed. It opened Moday and Tuesday, then Thursday to Saturday

Mon 1 Apr 2013, 21:43

I feel i must have a say here. I say to the Charlbury residents be very carefull what is promised or you may lose the remaining venues you have.
When i ran the Charlbury website i attended many meetings regarding the new community centre. At one public meeting the chairman of the Gifford Trust pledged that there would be no sale of the Old Primary School until full funding was in place for the new community centre. I am sure i can probably dig out the archive websites from the time.
We all know now this promise was worthless as Charlbury lost all in the deal.
Just make sure any statements and promises in the future are well documented so that possible legal proceedings can be implemented should future promises be broken.
I took photos of the demolition of the old school (and still have them) and spoke to the contractors who said the timbers in the roof area were as good as new, and the building was totally sound. This is contrary to what we had all been told.
Yes Charlbury needs good facilities but make sure you dont get conned into losing what you already have in the proccess.

Mon 25 Mar 2013, 06:56

On the news page the report on the Tgc meeting does mention football so hopefully they will have somewhere to train rather than have to travel away from Charlbury which is the case at the moment.

Sun 24 Mar 2013, 18:41

I didn't get to the meeting, but I have just looked at the plans and I see nothing for the football club? I'm not connected with them, but surely you can't just get rid of their social club without providing anything else for them?

I was told the parking spaces had been reduced but this doesn't seem to be the case luckily as the new Walkers are Welcome scheme is at least partially dependent on there being somewhere for potential walkers to park and added to the present lack of B&B facilities and lack of weekend food a lack of car parking facilities doesn't make Charlbury very welcoming. Even somewhere like Long Compton has more parking space than Charlbury!

Sun 24 Mar 2013, 17:42

I absolutely agree Chris it will be wonderful to have all these facilities that have been missing from our town for so long and I fully support the proposals put forward by the TGC.

Sun 24 Mar 2013, 17:17

I was not able to make the meeting, but after looking at the presentation I support the proposal put forward by the TGC and agree with Chris Barras to encourage you to go ahead with the plans.

Sun 24 Mar 2013, 16:39

I wholly support the proposal put forward by the trustees of the TGC.
The proposal seems to complement the existing facilities. Trustees, you have the broad support you need and I would encourage you to go ahead with your plans.

Sat 23 Mar 2013, 16:09

I am happy for everyone who loves and enjoys The Corner House and The Memorial Hall so much. After the meeting on Thursdays it seems like Charlbury and its charities and trusts have got enough support and funds to run all three venues in the future - which is amazing, especially during these 'tough' times. Anyway, I really hope the latest TGC proposal will go ahead and we will end up with a new and really cool sports hall and library (and maybe even a bar/cafe) at Spendlove. At the moment the place - future building side - looks terrible! I can understand a lot of people would rather turn it into a massive carpark, but that would be just a silly thing to do. So to wrap this up - good luck to the TGC and please make that sports hall not as big as three badminton courts but more like one tennis court:-). That would bring a lot of 'new visitors' in to the town!!! Especially in this kind of weather.....

Fri 15 Mar 2013, 09:47

It looks like things can be amended, if so desired but all options should be looked at. With the possible sites available in the town, the funds sitting in accounts, not being used or any long term vision then use the money for something much needed

Wed 13 Mar 2013, 13:11

Well if it means that there would be no housing on the Spendlove site, then I think the trustees should enquire from the Charity Commissioners if they can do this; I am sure they can.

Wed 13 Mar 2013, 11:44

That's great - thanks Tim.

Reading around the subject, it appears to me that the Charity Commission provides good advice on how charities can change their Trust Deeds - see here. The Motor Fire Brigade Fund appears to have done this once already (established 1927, changed 1975).

So that needn't be a blocker. The question is really, I guess, whether the Trustees would be prepared to consider making such a change, and whether the people of Charlbury would support it. I'd be interested to know what those following this thread might think!

Wed 13 Mar 2013, 08:51

In response to Richard's request I have the following answer from my Dad.
Tim, You asked why the Trust cannot contribute to the Community Centre.

The reason is that the Charlbury Motor Fire Brigade Fund cannot put the capital into the Community project is because of the way that the Trust was set up. "Application of Income - The Trustees shall apply the clear income of the charity as they think fit for any charitable purposes for the general benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish of Charlbury and the neighbourhood thereof for which provision is not made out of rates, taxes or other public funds". The capital fund is all held in COIF. The Trust cannot use the capital.

Following the meeting with the Councillors and Gifford Trustees presentation the CMFBF sent a letter to the Gifford Trust saying that the Trust Deed does not allow us to spend the capital but that when the Community Centre was built perhaps we would be able to help with the purchase of equipment. This is the best the Trustees can do as we are tied to the Trust Deed.

Hope this makes it clearer. Dad.

Tue 12 Mar 2013, 20:33

on viewing the charity commission WEB site the since year ending Dec 2010 income of £2934.00 ( assumed interest ), only £ 100.00 is shown as spending !!! This does not look like it is being used with great effect. No point keeping it under the bed ,as in real terms the value is decreasing .

Tue 12 Mar 2013, 14:48

Grahame - the Town Council did indeed do exactly that, calling a meeting of the various trusts in February to see if there was any way in which we could all work together for a better outcome.

However, I believe the Motor Fire Brigade Fund has since turned down this approach and intends to retain its ~£250,000 balance for its own purposes (though I confess I'm not entirely sure what those are). As Susie says, this currently leaves the community centre in the default position of needing to sell (or lease) much of the land to fund the development.

Coincidentally, I understand the Motor Fire Brigade Fund is chaired by Tim's father, and Tim did of course start this thread with an impassioned call for "better ways of raising funds". Tim, would you be able to encourage your father to explain the Motor Fire Brigade Trust's reasons for declining here in this thread?

Richard (writing personally again)

Tue 12 Mar 2013, 14:21

I agree Mark. Pots of money should not be tied up if they are not going to be used and would be better put to use to help build the community centre; we dont want housing on that site. If this money could help prevent this, then all efforts should be made to effect this. Perhaps this could be discussed at the TGC meeting on 21st March and if not appropriate then, at the Annual Parish meeting on 5th April. (Speaking as myself)

Tue 12 Mar 2013, 14:17

It seems to me that there are a number of organisations/committees/businesses who will all be affected to a greater or lesser extent by the building of a new facility.
However, they don't appear to be talking to each other.
Are we not now at the stage where our elected representatives should take a co-ordinating stance to ensure that the character and continuing appeal of Charlbury is enhanced as well as preserved to the satisfaction of all parties ?

Tue 12 Mar 2013, 13:49

Charlbury's Charities and Community Facilities topic added today, is rather interesting as some large sums of money are available or set aside that would be better used than sat in a bank account doing nothing.

As plans have been drawn up previously by architects empolyed for this purpose, than the answer to enough room being available would be something easily quantified by the planning department.( WODC )

This, along with possible spending on the current buildings to bring them up to standard is a subject that needs to be discussed . looks like a lot of possibilities and cash / assets are available, but keeping them in individual pots does not make a strong case for the future.

Mon 11 Mar 2013, 20:01

Is there enough space in the carpark? It gets full enough as it is without adding in the additional vehicles of those people who may be coming from outside Charlbury to use the spots hall part of the facility.

If you were thinking of a building with multiple uses then you'd need plenty of space - the sports hall space plus changing rooms etc, an area the size of the Memorial Hall (including the catering facilities, back room and stage) and then additional rooms for meetings as you have in the Corner House. Can that all fit on the Spendlove site?

And what happens when the rent goes up for the new building? If the various clubs and societies can't find the money then they won't use it, they'll go elsewhere, like Chadlington.

Mon 11 Mar 2013, 19:34

To clarify, my point is to provide a facility, not just a sports hall. The location is perfect for a purpose designed and constructed building to be up to date and functional , with suitable access and parking. The current hall and the corner house are rather dated and limited. Any funding to bring the current buildings up to date must be balanced against what can be provided in a new development and make the most of assets that are available. We must look at available options and solutions and if suitable move forward.

Mon 11 Mar 2013, 18:09

I agree Jean.

Sun 10 Mar 2013, 17:04

The War Memorial Hall not large enough? Certainly it is adequate for Choc-Charlbury's Own Cinema and Choc Live wih International Artists.For CADS and Quiz Nights. It seated,as a result of bad weather, approx 120 people for the Jubilee Lunch and Birthday Parties are held here which would be lost in a sports Hall. The adjacent Garden Room is regularly used for meetings and social events. Improvements are needed to facilitate changing rooms with Services behind the Hall and to the Kitchen for Health and Safety reasons apart from convenience. By all means build a Sports Hall but don't rob the town of a very useful meeting place.

Sun 10 Mar 2013, 12:40

One thing that is required in the busy and vibrant town of Charlbury is a facility or centre to accommodate the people that currently arrange social events, groups and clubs.As the town has grown overt the years the facilities have not increased to meet the demand. The memorial hall is not large enough and the events that it is used for exceeds the capacity. The recent " screen test " event had us all squashed in ant tripping over each other.
The very active sports clubs that exist need indoor training facilities during the winter months, as the many age groups of Charlbury youth football- having teams in all age groups, have to attend other venues in Woodstock , Chipping Norton and Burford to be able to use indoor facilities. Quite ironic, when Woodstock does does not have any youth teams and children from Woodstock, come and play and train in this wonderful town. Many parents of children in this active town, put a great deal of effort in providing stimulating and varied sports activities that is of great importance in the development of the next generation of this town. The infrastructure needed to support this is something that should be supported by people of this town. Child obesity and carbon footprint come to mind.
The need for a modern and purpose built building to cover the events of all groups and age groups is and has been needed for many years and now the possibility exists for this to happen the opportunity must be realised.

Sat 9 Mar 2013, 17:44

Where ever the the rumour started I regard it as an 'excellent pebble in the pond' A discussion has been generated that I hope will lead to more rational use of the community facilities. They need to be complementary not competitive.

Sat 9 Mar 2013, 11:57

Tim I think you could help quell all these rumours and silly ideas by giving a name to the so called rumour mungers , who are supposed to be on various committees. In the past I have been on both The Thomas Gifford Trust and the Charlbury Community Centre Appeal committees, and never once have I heard any comment or discussion on selling the Corner House or Memorial Hall. As I have mentioned before as a co owner of the old Spendlove Centre, we were nearly always booked up weeks ahead as we're the other facilities in Charlbury. It is such a vibrant place with so many organisations that I am sure we will be able to support all our facilities and also attract outside interest in Charlbury. There are very few facilities in this area that can cater for larger events and people numbers. So instead of spreading rumours let us all get on and support our Town to make it and its facilities something to be envied.

Sat 9 Mar 2013, 10:40

Thomas Gifford Charity!!

Sat 9 Mar 2013, 10:34

Sorry Susie----must be feeling dim this a.m. What exactly is the TGC ?

Sat 9 Mar 2013, 00:30

Glena, as you know the TGC has nothing to do with the Corner House & Memorial Hall as so could not ask for it to be sold. As Jon has pointed out on his link, the main purpose of the TGC is to upkeep the Playing Close for the inhabitants of Charlbury, and its second objective to maintain its assets in order to maintain the Playing Close. However they could coerce people into thinking that to sell would be a good idea!!

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 20:00 (last edited on Fri 8 Mar 2013, 20:12)

Isn't it lucky that the town has a place like the Memorial hall and the corner house to hold meetings and public meetings in. I hate to think what would happen if we didn't have these venues anymore, as I'm sure we would be asked to keep quiet in the new library or be constantly asked to throw back the tennis ball or shuttle cock in the new community sports hall.
I have to say that I am not totally against the new sports hall albeit the only thing that would interest me would be a squash court but alas that seems to be overlooked.But for it to be built at the expense of losing the memorial hall and corner house I totally disagree on As these buildings bring people down to the town centre and as with all the businesses in the centre we need them to exist.

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 18:13 (last edited on Fri 8 Mar 2013, 18:14)

Quite apart from whether or not the Community Centre goes ahead, there is another point. What does the Memorial Hall commemorate? Does it not commemorate the fallen? So, if the finances of the Community Centre depended upon selling the Memorial Hall, would that not be seen as crudely doing away with this memorial? I for one think it would. It would be all very well for some "new memorial" to be created (or even for the word "memorial" to be incorporated into the name of the new Community Centre), but this could be seen as a little bit of a "political replacement", and I suspect that many people would find that unacceptable. As they say ... "Discuss ...".

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 17:58

(For future reference - there's an 'Edit' button by each posting which you can use if you've made a typo.)

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 17:27

Sorry----I obviously did not check my posting carefully enough. My first sentence should read 'when I was a district councillor (though some people might think dustrict more appropriate !) I fought for the money that was going to come from WODC for this facility'.

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 16:35

Please note the date of the Trust's public meeting.

Hopefully the recent local interets will draw a large audience to a meeting to discuss our proposals for the Spendlove site. We will be outlining our duty in ensuring that what is provided on the site is fit for future generations within the town, without incurring ongoing costs to the town and trust, and having a negative impact on other facilities.

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 15:47 (last edited on Fri 8 Mar 2013, 15:49)

Pippa: you could start here: opencharities.org/charities/264536 and here www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=264536&SubsidiaryNumber=0

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 14:42

I am (or was) like Paul, very committed to a new community centre and when I was a dustrict councillor I fought for the money that was going come from WODC to be retained. It was, however, removed from their budget but we did get a promise that it would come back to Charlbury for the community centre nearer the time.
However my involvement with this (as a member of the Adult Centre committee, who were the main tenants of the old school) goes back to the mists of time. I remember the anger and division that the whole affair caused and would absolutely hate Charlbury to be pitchforked back into anything like that. I think one thing the matter taught us was that a bird in the hand (or in this case two) is worth one in the bush.
The new centre, as outlined in previous meetings, although multi-purpose----obviously a good idea, would in no way provide the facilities that the Corner House and Memorial Hall provide. It is excellent if the new centre was used every night for young people doing sport but that in itself shows that CADS and CHOC and other events would still need the Memorial Hall and its stage.

Surely the matter would proceed with more rationality and calm if the Gifford Trust gave an absolute promise thet they would not include the sale of the Corner House and Memorial Hall in their discussions or potential plans as, knowing Charlbury, I am certain that most people would be completely against that.

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 12:04

I remember these debates taking place when the architects were involved in a very thorough community consultation that Tony mentioned. Whilst I don't believe previous decisions should be overturned without good reason, this was a long time ago and I would support, like Paul a cost/benefit review based on today's situation. It makes sense to review where we are now, and i look forward to hearing the an update on progress at the meeting.

I'm keen to understand how this new community facility will work with existing facilities, what the impact may/is likely to be, the chance of each potential risk happening, and what opportunities this presents and whether it is considered worth taking. I suppose I'm not clear who are the decision makers are regarding the new community centre. Perhaps someone can advise me?

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 11:39

I don't know about any meetings between the Gifford Trust and the committee (though since I suspect some of the members may be the same, there must have been contact) but only a few years ago when the latest efforts towards the Community Centre were started there was a public meeting where the ideas were presented/discussed. The appointed architects showed they were at great pains to take in to account ALL the facilities already available including not just the Corner House and Memorial Hall but the various other venues such as the churches and their associated rooms.
That said my first thought on seeing the heading to this thread was of 1st April several years ago when some wag (name still unknown to me) put a spoof planning notice outside the Corner House requesting change of use - to sauna and massage parlour. Ah what fun we had in those heady days when we could still make jokes about such a serious matter!

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 11:34

It will be interesting to hear what is said at the meeting.
The Gifford Trust says on its page on this website: "The business case was submitted with 25 letters of support from local organisations. We are very grateful to them and look forward to working with them as the…

Long post - click to read full text

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 10:01

Do I detect a competitive element entering this discussion? Surely Community facilities should focus on serving the Community to the Communities advantage? Has there ever been a meeting between The Corner House & War Memorial Hall Committee and the Gifford Trust to discuss the respective services that they intend/can offer Charlbury so that they are not competing and so that each facility is being put to its best use at an affordable price. For instance can sports activities take place at the same time as an organisation or library wishes to have quiet meeting?'

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 09:01

Response to Susies query from Ian Cox
Gifford Trust will be holding a public meeting to update everyone on our proposals for the Spendlove site starting at 7 30 on 21st March in the Memorial Hall. The wider discussion about other issues being raised should take place at the Annual Parish Meeting of the Town Council.The Town Council. I understand that this is taking place on 5th April.

Fri 8 Mar 2013, 00:02

Anyone know when the date of this meeting is?

Thu 7 Mar 2013, 14:20

I have an absolute committment to the New Community Centre and the fully agree with the proposed design ideas. Creating a large hall that can be used for all sports amongst other uses is exactly what Charlbury needs and I think they would be significant demand from the football, cricket and badminton groups for such a facility. My view would be that this would likely to be booked out from 4pm-9pm every weekday evening. It is almost impossible for our young people to train in an indoor facility as the Chippy and Witney sports centres are constantly oversubscribed. To have such a facility in Charlbury would be fantastic.

Personally, I think it right to review whether we need the corner house, memorial hall and community centre or whether we can create a fantastic modern community facility that caters for all user groups. I am however sympathetic to the idea of running all three but I do support a cost/ benefit analysis approach to be levied on all facilities.

I look forward to attending the public meeting as outlined by Ian.

Thu 7 Mar 2013, 13:09

Thanks Stephen,
Most informative.

Thu 7 Mar 2013, 12:15 (last edited on Wed 27 Mar 2013, 10:08)

I write as Chair of the Corner House & War Memorial Hall Committee factually responding to the query about the potential loss of income from the library lease. The Jesse Clifford room is leased to OCC. The actual terms are a matter of negotiated contract, but the library payment currently represents around a tenth of the combined hire income for the Corner House and Memorial Hall. The Management Committee has been working on the assumption that the existing library space was too small for the Town and as such it would have returned to general hire (or a separate lease) some years ago. We would be sorry to loose the library (and its planned relocation may well decrease the footfall for Coffee Mornings and the Town Centre) but we would expect to re-coup some of the financial loss by the hire of what is an attractive large room on the ground floor. In the worst case general charges would have to rise by 10% to compensate.

Thu 7 Mar 2013, 11:23 (last edited on Thu 7 Mar 2013, 11:31)

Am I right in thinking that Meals on Wheels operates from the corner house ?
If so where do they go when the corner house is sold off as well as the other groups that use the corner house and memorial hall as I can't think they would want to share a large hall with someone playing tennis or badmington at the same time

Thu 7 Mar 2013, 10:56

I wonder how the funding of the Corner House would be affected if the library were to move and whether there is an alternative which would plug the hole that could be left ?
Perhaps the 'Town Council' could share their thoughts with us, if indeed they are responsible for the upkeep..

Thu 7 Mar 2013, 10:41

Moving the Library out of the centre of Charlbury will have a detrimental affect on the rest of the businesses in the centre. Is this really a good idea? Do we want to have a bigger library just for the sake of the businesses in Charlbury? I would dearly love to hear the pros for the community centre now, as opposed to several years ago. And as for the sale of the Corner House, which I know has been mooted, if this EVER happens I would resign from the Town Council I feel that strongly about it.
Susie (my opinions only)

Wed 6 Mar 2013, 20:09

The Friends of Charlbury Library are fully involved and supportive of the idea. Please come to the next meeting to discuss further. Date will be confirmed tomorrow.
Ian

Wed 6 Mar 2013, 19:59

Why does the Library need to be moved?

Wed 6 Mar 2013, 18:45

Message from Ian Cox (Not Sue Cox)

I am currently chair of the Gifford Trust. I think it would be useful for me to contribute to this discussion.
I gave an update of our progress with the scheme we have been working up for the last two years in the most recent edition of the Chronicle. We will shortly be holding a public meeting to further update everyone, as we do every year, and will be launching the fundraising website in the very near future. We hope that our proposals for a large hall and multi use community space including a larger library space will be a positive addition, and complementary to, the community facilities in the Town. We have recently received confirmation from Oxfordshire County Council that the funds held by them from the original sale of the old primary school are confirmed for our project, subject only to us entering into a funding agreement with them. Please come along to our public meeting (Details later this week) to find out more.
Gifford Trust have no control or influence over other discussions that are taking place elsewhere but do want to ensure that all community facilities in the Town are well used and well co-ordinated together. We have a regular dialogue with the Town Council who are supportive of our proposals and have set aside funds to assist in the cost of building what will effectively reprovide the previously lost old primary school and Spendlove Hall facilities.
I hope this is of use and look forward to seeing a good turn out at the next public meeting, later this month.

Wed 6 Mar 2013, 18:21

Susie, you have made a brave statement here. Not too long ago, I asked something similar and got a short, sharp private message that any nay-saying wasn't helpful. However, I agree with you. We should look after the facilities we have (says she who wished the xxxx-amount needed to upgrade the former school site would have been coughed up rather than the pie-in-the-sky plan that got us in this mess in the first place). As much as a community centre might be useful in theory, I still shudder at the loss of parking at Spendlove which is already beyond capacity.

Wed 6 Mar 2013, 18:09

Do we really need this new community centre now. 15 years ago we had a thriving Adult Education and yes, it would have been great. But people's evenings now are more precious, and it is very difficult to get people to give up their time to help things such as Street Fair, let alone go to French conversation classes! The Corner House and Memorial Hall are not overbooked, so adding an extra facility would only be a waste of money. What is this building going to do that the Memorial Hall and Corner House combined cannot do? Wouldnt it make more sense to pool the money raised and either give to the Corner House etc, the school etc. Goodness knows over £300K so far has been wasted on this project, with nothing to show for it!

(Like Richard - I am writing this in a personal capacity, not as a Town Councillor)
Susie

Wed 6 Mar 2013, 17:25

I do not know whether it is legs or strings being pulled here - or both. Is the New Community Centre being designed as if the Memorial Hall extension goes ahead or a comprehensive CC which would render retention of either or both the Corner House and Memorial Hall unneccessary. Have the designers received information which tells them the approach to adopt? The NCC Comittee should not want to waste money on the wrong brief. If so why no information for or consultation with the users of the existing buildings? I was told that such consultation had taken place but as a member of the CH and WMH Committee on behalf of ChOC, ChOCLive and Tuesday evening Badminton I have never been approached. I could go on........

Wed 6 Mar 2013, 12:57

Thanks Richard. That is certainly clear. We have only to hear from the Gifford Trust and all rumours are laid to rest...

Wed 6 Mar 2013, 12:34

Certainly some of that is rumour, yes. :) The Town Council couldn't call a halt to the Thomas Gifford Trust's work or fundraising efforts for the Community Centre even if it wanted to (not that I've heard any suggestion it does) - the Gifford Trust is now independent of the council. The Town Council has already approved the work at the Memorial Hall but has asked for a short, temporary pause in the preparations until the Community Centre plans are clear. Given that the Gifford Trust are working pretty solidly on the plans right now, I'd hope that this pause will only last for a very short time.

(Re: the £30k - I was referring to just one contribution to the budget, but have edited that out to avoid unduly misleading anyone!)

Richard (speaking personally)

Wed 6 Mar 2013, 12:02

I thought the Town Council had called a halt on all work in respect of both the Memorial Hall (budget around £120k, I thought, Richard, rather than £30k?) and the Community Centre.

If it has, does that mean an end to fundraising too, if the purposes to which the funds would be put are being reconsidered?

Or have I got hold of a malicious rumour here?!

Jean and Gill: my experience has been that the principal users of the present facilities are the last to be consulted, if indeed they ever are. Informed after the event, yes, consulted, no. Has anyone had a better experience?

Tue 5 Mar 2013, 22:54

I'm not sure that any attempt to convert the Corner House into bijou executive flats would take off, not least because it's a Listed Building! I suspect this is largely a case of Chinese whispers. But reading between the lines...

As you might know, the Memorial Hall is about…

Long post - click to read full text

Tue 5 Mar 2013, 22:18

Do Cads and Choc know about this?

Tue 5 Mar 2013, 21:03

Lets hope this is not true as Charlbury WI are quite happy using the Corner House and housing would just not sit right down there.

Tue 5 Mar 2013, 19:50 (last edited on Tue 5 Mar 2013, 19:55)

Please tell me that this is NOT going to happen as I have been hearing rumours that the So Called New Community Centre appeal people are looking at possibly trying to raise funds for the new building by selling off some of Charlbury's Historic assets by knocking down the Memorial hall and building houses in its place and also in the corner house garden.
Surely there are better ways of raising funds than this!
This needs to be stopped in it's tracks !