This year, the Thornwood Common Parish Hall will be 50 years old. Its construction is such that the hall is extremely cold in the winter costing a considerable amount to run, and proving extremely difficult to heat. North Weald Bassett Parish Council has made a public commitment in the form of an Environmental and Green Policy to reduce its carbon footprint by wherever possible minimising waste, integrating environmental considerations and objectives into decisions on a cost-effective basis, and ensuring the Council monitors its use on electricity.
To this end, the Parish Council is looking to make improvements to the Thornwood Common Parish Hall to reduce the halls carbon footprint, make it more economical to run, and to ‘do our part’ in helping with the climate crisis currently facing both our District and the country. Not only will this support climate change, but will help reduce running costs, ensuring the hall hire costs remain low, thus providing every resident the opportunity to hire their local village hall.
This project involves improvements to the insulation, roof covering, and the installation of solar panels onto the hall roof, and the Parish Council is looking for funding from various funding streams to support this project.
The project is expected to cost around £94,000.
Grant Applications Made:
- £50,000 - UK Shared Prosperity Fund - Status: Awaiting outcome
- £20,000 - National Lottery Funding - Status: More Information Needed
If there is a shortfall between any grant funding and the cost of the project, the Parish Council will consider using funds from its earmarked reserves.
