Brixham Town Council is offering the local community the chance to have its say on the regeneration of Brixham Town Hall through its “Your Town Hall, Your Say” consultation process.
The consultation, which will run during January and February, is seeking public opinion on an outline concept to regenerate the Town Hall.
Brixham Town Council is working with independent community development charity Devon Communities Together on the consultation, which is designed to encourage maximum participation from the public so to ensure that people in the community have a real say in what they want from their newly developed Town Hall. The project will be supported by Heritage Lottery and aims to create a multi-functional community space that is open to everyone.
Introducing the consultation, Chair of the Planning & Regeneration Committee, Councillor Ian Carr said that when Brixham Town Council agreed to take over the Town Hall in 2012 it was already known that the building left much to be desired and that at some point extensive work would be needed in order for it to be sustainable.
“Since 2016 the Council has consulted widely with partners and sought professional advice in order to develop a fully thought through plan for the future, but we have always been conscious that any plan would need the widest possible community involvement in order to succeed”, says Councillor Carr.
“The tenants in the building have provided their list of requirements and the Heritage Museum has done the same, so now it is time for the wider public to have the same opportunity to tell us what they want from the space”.
To have your say, please visit: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BrixhamTownHall to fill in an online survey. Paper copies of the survey will be available for collection from Brixham Town Council office on New Road, Brixham, TQ5 8TA.
Other plans for the consultation period include public events, visits to local groups and organisations, all of which will be advertised online at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PKSVGRK. Information on the plans will also be available at the library, in shops, pubs, medical surgeries and dentists.
In addition to the plans for the Town Hall itself, Brixham Town Council is also seeking community views on the potential for a number of new homes at the rear of the Town Hall.
“In the short term the Council has secured a £33,000 grant from Homes England in order to carry out a feasibility study into the possible supply of 4 one-bedroom flatsaffordable accommodation in the Old Police House area at the rear of the building”, says Councillor Carr.
A community survey designed to assess the need for those new properties is also available at: [insert URL], which members of the public are encouraged to participate in.
“Our objective is to deliver a sustainable building that is fit for purpose in the 21st Century and ceases to be a drain on the Council’s finances, thereby enabling members to direct further support towards other community needs at a time when Torbay Council services continue to disappear”, he added.
The consultation process is being run in conjunction with Devon Communities Together, an independent charity with extensive experience in working with communities in Devon to create positive change. Experts on community engagement and understanding community needs are working with Brixham Town Council to facilitate the public consultation process.