Walks & Paths – Jenna Morrow Wood – Village Hall – Winter Fuel / Energy Efficiency – Play Park – Youth Facilities
The Village Hall is seen by many in the Community as the heart of the community due to its function as a meeting point for the Open Show, school shows and various clubs.
The Village Hall is in dire need of a refurbishment due to its rundown state both inside and outside, there is no warm water in the toilets and the Kitchen is outdated and worn. The Village Hall also has an expensive electric heating system which is not very effective nor energy efficient.
The elderly population have made it clear that it is too cold for them to use and they are using the nearby Autumn Club for all elderly activities at the moment.
On the survey form it was suggested establishing a café within the new Village Hall however, there was little support and quite a high number of opposition to the idea.
There is a well-established Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) called Kirkcowan Hall which has done a lot of work in keeping the Village Hall running and planning for a Community Asset Transfer of the Village Hall. An architect was commissioned and a drop-in meeting was held in November 2019 to gather people’s views with regards to what people wanted to do with the Village Hall i.e.
- Option 1 Refurbishment of Village Hall
- Option 2 Partial rebuild
- Option 3 Total rebuild
- Option 4 Do nothing.
From the results from the drop-in meeting in November 2019 it is clear that a part-rebuild is what most of Kirkcowan Community would like to see.
It has been suggested that when the Village Hall is developed then energy efficiency should be a priority in regards to the rebuild and refurnishing of the Village Hall. It is also suggested that local business is given the opportunity to tender for the building work to help support the local economy in the area.
Another important matter is ensuring that the Village Hall gets updated with WIFI and potentially SMART Board or projector to increase the possibility of multi-use of the hall.
It is anticipated that external funding will be needed for the development of the Hall and discussions need to be had with Kirkcowan Hall SCIO with regards to how much involvement KCDT should have in the Village Hall both in regards to funding and Project management support.
Comments from Surveys
- Pay hall fees for all clubs that use the hall
- Refurbishment of village hall
- Buy existing hall and extend to make a small café and village information centre.
- PA and lightning system for hall for performances/concerts
- Sort inside of village hall – underfloor heating, redecorate
- Buy village hall, employ a project manager to run the hall once renovated and refurbished
- Install another generator socket outside the village hall
- Buy the village hall and either do it up, or knock it down and redesign
- Build new hall with a small community café and toddlers soft play
- Improve hall – run a community lunch club from it
- Buy the public hall
- Upgrade the village hall
- Café in village hall
- Improve village hall
- Don’t bother with village hall
- Knock down village hall and rebuild new
- Benches and garden outside village hall
- Café in village hall
- Developing a facility for youth should be a high priority. I think more important than hall.
- Renovated halls, 2 hot meals a week open to everyone or delivered.
- Community gym in hall also chill out zone for older kids/teenagers
- Village hall: Sustainable heating – biomass solar panels on roof for water and for feeding into grid. Both biomass heating + solar power will generate funds for the community. Cladding insulation outside double glazed windows.
- Musical events indoors or outside gatherings & get together park or village hall.
- Drop in weekly in hall just coffee and chat
- I would only be in support of development of the village hall, if it was a renovation, and not a rebuild, which in my opinion isn’t necessary. Upgrading of the existing building is valuable, and would benefit the users, but an entirely new building isn’t necessary. Equally, a cafe or recycle shop would also be beneficial but it is important that proceeds raised go back into the community, and individuals do not personally profit from this. Any works to be done, should be offered to tradesmen/companies within the Kirkcowan area, so that the community is benefiting and enhancing the local economy.
- The village needs a good hall that is energy efficient to run. Anybody with any experience of renovation will tell you it never goes straight. There will always be major problems with renovation. Building new can have less problems, also has anyone checked on the VAT situation. Renovations are not exempt from 20% VAT but new build is. That would need to be checked with the VAT customs and excise dept.
- Re a café, I understand it has been done before but given social isolation is high especially in rural areas a daily coffee/tea morning, possibly with soup/cake for villagers to get together in the village hall run by volunteers. I am sure the hall could be used more fully from early morning to evening, depending on how many rooms for all sectors of our community.
- Re café in the village hall – surely this is for the hall committee to decide. There needs to be communication regarding the SEPARATE organisations ie The Trust, The Hall Committee and the Community Council as people seem to think they are one entity.
- Definitely support the village hall refurb. – very important for community spirit.
- The village hall as well as the park are the hub of the community to bring people/children of all ages together. I would strongly support the development of both as where would we hold community events, school productions, parties or school sports events or just for children and adults to come together in the park.
- Hall is really important, it must be upgraded.
Walks & Paths – Jenna Morrow Wood – Village Hall – Winter Fuel / Energy Efficiency – Play Park – Youth Facilities