The current hall was built in 1980. It is an Atcost steel framed building; Atcost being a company that specialises in building agricultural barns! The steel frame was infilled with breeze blocks and there is no insulation at all. The only heating is electric bar heaters and so the hall is costly to heat, and keep warm.
So the Hall Committee decided to appoint a sub committee to look into potential improvements to the Village Hall. That sub committee consists of Karen Dusgate, Jan Gedrych and Ivor Williams. Their first task was to undertake a consultation exercise in the local community to decide what changes may be necessary to improve the energy efficiency and facilities available in the hall. Since that initial consultation the sub committee has prepared a brief for the selection of architects to carry out a feasibility study and option appraisal, and made applications to a number of grant bodies to fund that study.
Llangennith and Llanmadoc Parish Council were first to show their support with a grant of £1000 and in January 2024 we heard that we had been successful in our bid for a £15,000 Swansea Council Rural Anchor Grant (funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund). That money will allow the appointed architects to conduct a large number of investigatory surveys, such as structural and mechanical engineering, hydrology, renewable energy, topography, asbestos and ecological and to draw up architectural plans for proposed changes. The intention is that when the architects produce their report we will be ready to proceed to a planning application and seek further funding for build costs.
The architects appointed for this stage are Huw Griffiths Architects based in Swansea. One of the most impressive elements of their bid was the amount of community consultation they intend to carry out during the process. It is important to the Hall Committee that the local community have as much input into the development of the plans as possible to ensure that the refurbished hall meets the needs of all the potential users.
To that end, in addition to presentations in the hall, we will be providing regular updates here on the work. So come back here to see what the architects are up to and to give any input you may have to their plans please contact us.
