The voluntary group of trustees of the Leconfield Hall intend to make improvements to the ground floor of the building. After much work, we now have a plan and proposals which need listed building consent. The Hall, which dates from 1793, is Grade II* listed.
The Leconfield Hall has a complicated and impractical downstairs space which is not suited to the continued use of the building as a community centre and public hall. At present, only about a third of the downstairs space is used for events, with dark corridors, Outdated lavatories, along with thick internal walls restricting the use of the area. Storage is inadequate and the whole unsatisfactory layout has evolved over many years with no clear plan.
The new plans include removing an old internal wall to create a new kitchen and better lavatories, creating access to the basement, and making the main committee rooms larger (by moving the kitchen) and lighter by removing the unsightly nib in the ceiling. This, along with a glass entrance from the lobby designed to mirror the high arched windows, will make the room as lovely inside as it looks from the outside. These changes, the new kitchen, new fittings, decoration and lighting will transform the Hall. The lower rooms will be as fabulous as the restored auditorium upstairs and all Hall users will benefit from a much better layout and a nicer, brighter space.
The thick old walls which need to be partially dismantled for the new kitchen and lavatories (and replaced with a discreet steel framework) serve no useful purpose. The planning officer is concerned about this and removing the ugly ceiling “nib” in the main rooms, on the grounds that they probably formed part of the original building and are probably over 150 years old. They have also questioned the plans to replace the small area of (rotten) suspended floor with a solid floor.
Please help us by registering your support.
Please will you register your support here: https://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=SOBSJHTUMM300
Points to make about the planning application:
- Say if you are a regular user of the Hall.
- Comment on the bad existing layout downstairs.
- Comment on the benefits of the planned improvements to transform the ground floor.
- Make the point that the Hall has evolved ever since it was built in 1793 to meet the needs of the users and needs to continue to evolve.
- What is planned will conserve the building for future generations and keep it relevant for today’s users. We believe the proposed alterations are of overwhelming public interest
Full details and plans can be seen here: https://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=SOBSJHTUMM300
