Working towards community resources for Halesworth

Halesworth Middle School closed in July 2012. Put simply, the aim of the Campus Project is:

To acquire the middle school site and buildings and
to develop them as a community campus, for the benefit
of the people of Halesworth and surrounding villages

We have to look at this in relation to project phases. In the short term – phase one – we are already offering the following facilities:

• The grass pitches
• The hard tennis courts
• One set of changing rooms

We are also very aware that the Middle School and the Dairy Hill playing field sites surround the Health Services site at Cutler’s Hill. So, a priority is to work with Health Services partners to ensure we do not block future expansion or improvement of Health Services for the area.

The campus will be for anybody who wants to use it! Primarily, though, we see it as being for the people of Halesworth and the surrounding villages. We hope some of the facilities will be used by local primary schools – particularly the sports pitches, indoor sports hall and swimming pool. The Health Services may also be interested in using some facilities – particularly the gym and the pool. We expect significant use by local sports clubs and, of course, by local individuals and families.

First of all, we are really pleased that Suffolk County Council has agreed to transfer the Middle School site to us for free (subject to certain conditions). Not having to buy the site at commercial rates is a huge financial boost for us. This has only been possible because the County Council believes we have a project that’s likely to succeed, and which is in line with their strategic objectives.

Secondly,  Halesworth Playing Fields Association is planning to sell the existing playing fields at Dairy Hill and to put the proceeds into the campus project. The Dairy Hill site is already allocated for housing development under Waveney District Council’s Local Development Framework (HAL 3), so should bring in a substantial sum.

Thirdly, there is a modest sum  held by Waveney District Council. This is reserved for sports development for Halesworth and surrounding parishes and is being released into the campus project under the Council’s conditions.

Fourthly, Suffolk County Council has given us a grant of £57,000 towards project development costs. This is being spent mainly on purchasing the time of our professional Construction Project Manager – Linda Wilson

However, there is still a huge gap between what we have and what we will need if we are to deliver the sort of vision set out in the Masterplan. We are fortunate to have Suffolk County Council’s external funding team working with us on developing and implementing a strategy.

Halesworth Campus Ltd will basically be acting as a social landlord in that we will lease campus facilities to other operating organisations. For example, an operator would pay Halesworth Campus Ltd a rent to allow them to run the pool complex. This sort of arrangement would be put in place with other service operators as well, which would allow Halesworth Campus Ltd to meet the overall operating costs of the site.

Because Halesworth Campus Ltd is a charity, we will not be making any profit for ourselves or for shareholders. Instead, any profits will be ploughed back into future improvement and development of the facilities. The cost of leases to service operators can be kept as low as possible, so long as our overheads and long term liabilities are covered.

In the short term we will be running many of the facilities ourselves. This includes the grass pitches, the tennis courts and the indoor sports and assembly halls. These will provide us with sufficient income to cover operating expenses such as grounds maintenance, insurance, energy costs and cleaning of the buildings.

Back in November 2010 it was a small group of like-minded volunteers who started ‘The Campus Project’. We are now a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee, with a Board of eleven Directors. This charity will continue to run Halesworth Campus for the benefit of the people of Halesworth and surrounding parishes in perpetuity.

We are still all volunteers, devoting hundreds of hours each year to this project, and we have no plans to create paid posts.

• The Middle School closed at the end of July 2012

• The County Council granted HCL a license to occupy the pitches and one set of changing rooms from 1st August 2012. This has allowed rugby, football and tennis to be played.

• In October 2012 HCL received the results of a full condition survey, which demonstrated that the central (three storey) section of the school is not in good enough condition to retain or redevelop.

• In November 2012, at a summit meeting with the County Council, it was agreed that the Council will demolish the southern section of the buildings, board up and make secure the central section and make sure the Northern section is fit for use by Halesworth Campus Ltd. These works are planned for January 2013.

• This should allow HCL to make available to the public the sports hall and the assembly hall from April 2013.

• During 2013 we will be trying to maximise community use of the existing facilities at the former Middle School site. As well as delivering on our charitable objectives, this should put HCL on a sustainable financial footing and provide a demonstrable ‘track record’ in terms of managing this scale of facilities.

• Also during 2013 we will be carrying out further work in preparation for submitting major funding bids. This work will include: (a) a sports demand and access mapping survey (b) development work with sports clubs, to make sure they meet all the conditions required of major grants

• We hope to be in a position to apply for major grant funding from the sports national bodies (Football Foundation, Rugby Football Union etc), Sport England and The Lottery at some stage during 2014.

• This means that it is likely to be during 2015, at the earliest, that we could see major rebuilding works start on site.

• However, the project will involve moving some of the facilities currently on the Dairy Hill site up to the Campus (the soccer pitches and tennis courts, for example). We will try to ensure that the new facilities on the Campus are operational before the existing ones are demolished. This may involve limited construction work on the campus before the main building phase begins.

• If we can secure the funds, there are other interim developments we would like to carry out before the major redevelopment. These include much-needed drainage of the grass pitches, installation of the all weather pitch and  improved changing facilities.

This is quite a complex project and there are certainly some risks, but there are also a lot of safeguards, including:

• The planning authorities will only give consent for development of the Dairy Hill site if they are satisfied that the sports pitches will be replaced with new ones on the campus.

• The Charity Commission will only give their consent for disposal of the Dairy Hill site if they are happy that the pitches will be replaced on the campus.

• The County Council will only transfer ownership of the Middle School site to Halesworth Campus Ltd when it is satisfied that the project can go ahead on a sustainable basis

• We have a professional Project Manager working for us. One of her roles is to ensure that risks for the Campus Project are minimised.

No! The Campus Project is entirely consistent with the Town Plan. Both recognise the threat of Halesworth becoming a ‘retirement town’. Both seek to put in place facilities that will encourage younger people and families to come to Halesworth and surrounding villages. Both are trying to help lay the foundations for a more vibrant future.

We are taking great care to work with other groups to ensure that the campus project complements other developments in the town, rather than competing with them. For example:

• We are not proposing a new community centre as part of the campus development. We support the Rifle Hall Trust’s plans to renovate that building as a community hall. We also recognise that there is outline planning permission for a new community centre on the Dairy Farm site.

• We are working closely with Halesworth Health to try and accommodate their plans for expansion and improvement of health services in Halesworth.

• We are not proposing a retail development on the campus. We think the effect of the campus on town centre shops will be either neutral or positive (because some campus users will also visit the town centre).

We have produced ‘mini’ business plans for Suffolk County Council, relating to each separate area for which we’ve been granted a license to occupy.

We are currently engaged in drawing up cost and revenue plans for phase 2, in order to demonstrate to the County Council that this is a viable business.

Ultimately we will submit a full business plan to the Council, supporting the redevelopment to create the pool, fitness gym and other facilities.

Sure! We would welcome more people getting involved – whether you are an interested individual, a representative of a local group or somebody with professional skills to offer. Go to our ‘volunteer’ page to find out more.