Rodborough Parish Council has appointed Mitchell Eley Gould Architects to help design a new community hall for the people of Rodborough.
At an extraordinary council meeting on Monday 14 March, the procurement process saw fourteen architectural practices compete for the opportunity to help deliver the ambitious project.
The appointment took place in response to a brief described by competing architects as ‘exciting’ and ‘demonstrating a clear vision’, which prioritises a carbon-neutral model for construction and future use, targeting a building emission rate of less than 0 kg/m2 metre and an A+ energy performance certificate.
The council’s brief also outlines its need for up to three versatile internal activity spaces, including a main hall with seating for at least 80, a medium-sized space seating 25-30 and a smaller meeting room, alongside sports changing facilities, a well-equipped kitchen and a new parish council office.
“Rodborough Parish Council is excited to be working with Mitchell Eley Gould on this project,” said Cllr Robin Layfield, chair of the parish council’s Community Hall Development Working Group.
“The team really impressed us with their approach and their design process, and their response to our needs. Our brief has been developed over many months of careful consideration and prioritises Rodborough’s climate and community needs. It represents a key part of our response to Carbon Neutral 2030.”
Mitchell Eley Gould Architects are an award-winning architectural practice based in Bath, known for a range of work across the education, residential, commercial and conservation sectors. The practice particularly impressed the parish council with its commitment to innovation and community engagement.
A spokesperson for Mitchell Eley Gould said:
“We are delighted to have been selected to work with Rodborough Parish Council. The brief and ambition from the council drew us to the project. We applaud the council’s sustainability objectives that match our own and we are very much looking forward to our collaboration to deliver this project for the community.”
“As the scheme develops, we will be looking to establish engagement workshops to understand the wider views and objectives this scheme can achieve for the community. We truly believe this project can become a beacon for the community whilst establishing an exemplar model of how we build sustainably.”
Stroud District Council originally constructed Rodborough Community Hall in the early 1980s as a small sports pavilion to serve the neighbouring playing fields. In 1994, the building was taken on by Rodborough Parish Council, and since then it has acted as a community hall serving the people of Rodborough.
Whilst the hall hosts a wide range of activities, from a folk music orchestra to the popular Sunday Social event for Rodborough residents, facilities are limited and bookings are often oversubscribed due to lack of space within the building.
Very few changes have been made to the hall in the past 40 years aside from the provision of an accessible toilet and solar panels on the south-facing roof.
Rodborough Parish Council has taken the decision to upgrade the facilities on the site, by constructing a new more flexible community hall. In 2020, the parish council surveyed all households in the parish, with 88% of those responding supporting the redevelopment of the community hall, with climate change and other environmental factors to be taken into account.
For more information visit: https://rodborough.gov.uk/page/community-hall-development
