Work on £1.6m Potton Hall for All could start this year

A long-awaited £1.6m community building in Potton could be a stage nearer, after the town council backed the latest plans for the project.

Potton Hall for All committee has been working towards securing a new hall in the town for more than ten years.

The next step will be seeking planning permission for revised proposals, which would be determined by Central Bedfordshire Council’s development management committee.

If this is successful and there are no major cost increases, work on the hall could begin before the end of this year, according to Independent Potton councillor Adam Zerny.

He said in a social media post: “While Potton has other halls, none are to the scale of what’s planned.

“There was significant support for the facility in the recently adopted Potton neighbourhood plan.”

The town council intends to take out a £500,000 loan towards the cost, but can only do this when the hall is fully financed.

“More than £1.7m in funding has been committed to the project,” explained councillor Zerny. “Much of this is in the form of Section 106 developer contributions, while around £150,000 had been raised by the hall committee.”

The development was close to its target by November 2021, but an updated quote for the work revealed building costs had risen substantially from around £2.4m to £3m.

“With no obvious way of filling the gap, the team involved considered what changes could be made to the scheme which might reduce costs.

“An architect’s plans for a hall of reduced size has been received, measuring about 520sqm rather than the original 800sqm.

“But the clock was ticking as the building must be under construction by May 2024, under the terms of the Section 106 legal agreement.

“This didn’t leave long to get revised planning approval for the changes, secure any residual funding, and ensure materials and contractors are in place.

“The town council will continue to work on proposals for an alternative arrangement, if the hall doesn’t come to fruition,” he added.

“We’re adamant the Section 106 money will come to Potton regardless of what’s built, hence the need for a back-up. A working group was set up to consider what this funding might be spent on instead.

“There’s no automatic guarantee the money can be reallocated to any project other than a hall, as a change to the legal agreement would need to be accepted by CBC and the developer.

“The current cost for the revised hall works out at £1.64m. Even allowing for a contingency for increased costs of £100,000, there’s sufficient funding for the building.

“The aim was for a hall big enough for theatrical productions, weddings, businesses and sport. This could be used for indoor bowls, badminton, a nursery or exercise classes.

“A bar, a cafe and outdoor area, and parking for 100 vehicles are also part of the present plans for the eastern edge of the Tall Trees development in Biggleswade Road.”

Councillor Zerny and his Independent Potton ward colleague councillor Tracey Wye are in contact with CBC officers to ensure the community gets the benefit of the funding.