8 of 10 respondents to our village survey are in support of building a new Village Hall and Sports Pavilion at the Playing Field
Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey and to share their views with us. The great news is we had 131 responses to our survey which means we have a good representative sample from the parish and user groups outside of the village. The full details of the survey and all the verbatim comments can be found on the HDCC website www.newvillagehall.co.uk
Executive Summary
- 83% of respondents agree that Hadlow Down needs a new high quality Village Hall and Sports Pavilion for use by the whole community.
- The survey has given us plenty of evidence that supports the new proposal, particularly from a wealth of verbatim comments which are centred on the need for new modern facilities, improved access and a “community building’ for sports recreation, social events, education and entertainment.
- Usage of our current facilities has been very similar across both sites with the village hall being used quarterly or more by 46.6% of respondents and the Pavilion 46.1% respectively within the last year. Key reasons for this low usage has been cited as poor access, limited parking, poor toilets and changing facilities in worn out/old buildings.
- The survey data tells us that this usage would increase in the future with better facilities and a broader range of activities. Respondents want to continue with current social events but also want a New Village Hall and Sports Pavilion to provide the community with some new choices for both the old and young, such as baby and toddler groups, after school clubs, adult education classes, gardening club, community cinema, Information Technology, health and well-being, martial arts, sports coaching, art classes coffee hub, office hub etc. These make for an exciting new community space in the village.
- There is clear support from the village community with half of the people surveyed willing to provide their personal time to progress the project in some way, offering word of mouth support, helping with door to door distribution and helping with fundraising and organising events.
- On the other hand, there are still 17% against the proposal. Whilst these respondents currently have low usage of the current facilities their views are still important to us. Their key reasons for not supporting the proposal are that they state that the current facilities are already adequate and the new building would be too large and costly, as well as being concerned that it will bring more traffic and noise pollution to Hadlow Down. Whilst we recognise we may not change their views, we are committed to further consultation and communication for the whole community as we progress.
Thank you for your support
There are many more encouraging, insightful and supportive comments which you can read in full on our website. These depict a more connected view of how the village members want to bring the community closer together by working on this project, with 74 respondents personally offering help progress the project. [1]
Word of mouth, door-to-door distribution of information and help with fundraising events are the strongest ways that these members of the community will show their support. 70% of respondents offered to help the project in some way. 52% offering word of mouth support, 21% helping with door to door distribution and 21% offering to help with fundraising and organising events.
The user groups that responded would also like to help to support the project, mostly through word of mouth support and helping through fundraising events.
81%[2] of respondents would be very likely or likely to attend activities/events at the New Hall and Pavilion if there were more activities on offer that interested them, this compares well to the current usage of 46%. Additionally, larger numbers would be drawn to the facility if there were better acoustics, improved heating and better kitchen facilities. Of those taking part in groups and activities outside the parish, the sizeable majority do so because there is currently no activity or facilities meeting their need at the existing hall.
Conclusions
We believe we have had a representative response to our community survey. A clear majority of our respondents are in favour of the project. Respondents feel that the current buildings no longer offer adequate facilities for our community. There is plenty of support in the verbatim comments for a new improved environment and many feel that the new activities would strengthen community spirit and involvement. The survey data tells us that usage would increase in the future with better facilities and a broader range of activities. We are mindful though that there are still a small number of villagers with strong views against the project. Whilst we recognise we may not change their opinions, we are committed to further consultation and communication for the whole community as we progress.
We are encouraged by members of the community offering both support and practical assistance. As we move into our fundraising phase, the survey will be vital in demonstrating community insight, and for applications to external trusts and investors.
You can read the entire executive summary and view the survey responses in full on our website www.newvillagehall.co.uk
To all those that generously offered to help the project, we will be contacting you over the coming weeks.
Thank you again to everyone who completed the survey and for sharing your views.
Bob Lake, Chair HDCC
[1] Q14 What help, if any, might you be able to offer as we progress with the project? 109 responses, 35 of which are unable to help.
[2] Q9 If the new building did provide more activities of interest and better facilities, how likely would you be to use it? 129 responses, 104 very likely and likely.