Add your paragraph title here

Purpose of the document

 The purpose of this document is to provide details of our planned approach and business plan for the renovation and opening of Molehill Green Village Hall as a Community Hub for Takeley and its wider community.


Audience

 This document will be shared online on our Molehill Green Website. Our intention for sharing this information formally is to provide clarity and transparency of our intention as Trustees and share our vision for the future of Molehill Green Village Hall. This information will help with future funding requests across other public or charitable organisations.

 

Approvals and Accountabilities

The business plan has been signed off by the Trustees of Molehill Green Village Hall. It is acknowledged the trustees are accountable for the delivery of the business plan, the overall wellbeing of the Village Hall and grounds, as well as the key objectives of the constitution and charitable status.


 Trustees

 Ian Shaffner -  Chairperson / Trustee

 Sonia Carr -  Vice Chairperson / Trustee

  Martin Carr - Trustee

 Lucy Johnson -  Secretary / Treasurer / Trustee

 
  

Strategic Approach


 

Our Strategic Objectives

Our Strategic Objectives for Molehill Green Village Hall are:

  • To create a multifunctional space that allows the residents of Uttlesford to utilise the space for recreation, sports and community activities that improves the quality of life for its users.

 

Key Principles

Our key principles to deliver our strategic objective include:

 

  • Health and Wellbeing: Inclusivity of all! Support our local authorities to create a safe space to use and enable our community.
  • Social Value: The utilisation of local organisations, professionals, community SMEs to transform the village hall into a community hub.
  • Climate: To develop the building and enhance the grounds that minimises our carbon footprint, embraces and preserves our local nature.
  • Collaboration: To develop strong relationships with local organisations, professionals and SMEs to enable partnership working and to maximise opportunities for the community.
  • Procurement: To ensure that we have strong policies and procedures that support value for money and quality for the village hall. This includes ensuring that everything achieved supports the longer-term sustainability of the village hall for the community.
  • Financial Sustainability: To develop an operating model that ensures the building and grounds are utilised to the fullest and is financially sustainable, now and in the future.

 

Local Authorities Strategic Objectives

Molehill Green Village Hall are committed to aligning to our District and County Councils strategic Objectives.

 

Essex County Council Strategic Objectives

The Essex County Councils strategic aims and their ambitions set within their organisational objectives. These include:

  • enable inclusive economic growth
  • help people get the best start and age well
  • help create great place to live and work
  • transform the council to achieve more with less

     

Uttlesford District Council Strategic Objectives

These objectives set their priorities for the next 4 years. This includes:

  • Preserve and enhance the natural beauty and rural character of our district, while supporting sustainable growth and development that meets the needs and aspirations of our communities.
  • Provide high quality and accessible services that are responsive to local needs and deliver value for money.
  • Work with our partners and residents to tackle the key challenges and opportunities facing our district.

 

 
  

Background

 

Demography

Molehill Green is a hamlet with a population of 170 as off 2024, however ever growing. From 2018 approximately 20 buildings have been developed and it is expected that an additional 4-10 houses are likely to be developed in the next 2/3 years. Molehill Green is part of the Takeley district which has a population of 7500. Molehill Green is approximately 2 miles from Takeley and therefore is accessible to Takeley residents and the wider Uttlesford Community.

 

Molehill Green as a hamlet has an extremely diverse population. The hamlet has 2 children’s homes, a number of temporary and council accommodation, as well as rented and purchased household. The age range of the hamlet also varies from young to old, single households to families, yet the hamlet does not have one community asset available to use.

 

Molehill Green has a public house that is closed for refurbishment until further notice and a cricket ground used for the local Cricket Associations in Uttlesford. There is not one community asset available for the whole community. Molehill Green Village Hall is the only opportunity and location in the hamlet to have place for the community.

 

 

Brief History

High level timeline of events:

 

  • 1852 - 1947: The Village Hall was built.  The building and grounds were originally used as a school house for local residents.
  • 10th December 1958: The School House was converted to a Village Hall and was handed over to 4 trustees within the Village to upkeep the constitution for local residents.
  • 4th January 1983: Molehill Green Village Hall was established as a Charity maintaining the constitution for local residents.
  • 2005: Molehill Green Village Hall was closed to the public and used as an office for Stop Stansted Expansion, the historical society and a location for mental health professionals.
  • November 2020: Change of Trustees with the intention of reopening the Village Hall for residents.


From November 2020 the new trustees took on the building and grounds, knowing that the building was in poor condition. The primary goal was to ascertain and secure financial stability whilst developing an approach to raise funding to renovate the building.

 

The trustees are acutely aware that if the building was handed back to the relevant authorities the grounds would likely be sold off to developers and the residents of Molehill Green would lose the opportunity for community assets.

 

Charity & Constitution

In November 2020 new Trustees were appointed to Molehill Green Village Hall, taking accountability of the building, grounds and the overarching Charity known as “Molehill Green Village Hall”.

 

The Charity is registered with the Charity Commission and is aligned to the original Constitution which was established on 10th December 1958.

 

The original constitution sets out the following objectives:

 

“The promotion for the public benefit of urban or rural regeneration in areas of social and economic deprivation (and in particular Molehill Green) by all or any of the following means:


a)      The maintenance, improvement or provision of public amenities.

b)     The preservation of buildings or sites of historic or architectural importance.

c)      The provision or assistance in the provision of recreational facilities for the public at large and/ or those who, by reasons of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, poverty or social and economic circumstances, have need of such facilities.

d)     The protection or conservation of the environment.

e)     Promotion of public safety and prevention of crime 

 

Standards of Practice

Although the building is not up and running, the trustees have taken on board the importance of excellent quality and an up-to-date standard of practice, policies and processes to ensure the health and safety of all our users.

 

The trustees are in the process of developing fundamental policies and processes, these will be available online for our users with a master copy available within the building. The link to our current policies are www.molehillgreenvillagehall.co.uk/village-hall-policies

 

Once the building is open, the Trustees will annually update all policies, practices and processes.

 

Molehill Green Village Hall is insured with public liability insurance for small events held by the trustees. A proportionate risk assessment is completed for all events and volunteers are vetted prior to any events. The trustees are responsible and accountable for the building, grounds and functioning of our charity.

 

Consultation 2021

In December 2020, the Trustees decided to engage with the community on the future of Molehill Green Village Hall. The trustees created a measurable Survey that would allow us to report on the views of the residents in a statistical manner. For detailed information please visit www.molehillgreenvillagehall.co.uk/consultation

 

The outcome of the consultation resulted in the residents of Takeley requesting that the building and grounds is used as a multifunctional space that can be open for families, groups, and individuals to get together. This supports our constitutional objectives; however, the building requires major renovation to be modernised into a safe community hub for residents.

 

 

The Journey so far

 

The Building and Grounds

The building has and still requires significant work to enable us to open the village hall to the residents. Over the last 4 years the trustees have worked tirelessly to obtain funding to make improvements and have worked to get the community involved in maintaining the grounds and helping with tasks as and when required.

   

In 2021 the trustees commissioned an architect to develop plans for the village hall and grounds and support discussions to renovate the village hall in a community hub.

 

The intention of this plan is that once in place, it give the trustees an opportunity to extend into the back of the village hall in the future.

 

Building and grounds developments

Over the last 4 years, the trustees have worked on the principle that as we upgrade the building and grounds we try and ensure that it sets the foundation of the building to reduce longer term issues. To date the following developments have been made:

 

  • A structural surveyor: to assess the foundations of building structure and make recommendations.
  • A tree surgeon: to assess our grounds and to remove any potential ground disturbance that could impact the building structure.
  • Fix external structure: to fix the external roof tiles to repoint the external building bricks.
  • Internal structure: replace the internal roof, knocking down internal walls to open up the building and remove all internal items.
  • Fix our foundations and flooring: to replace and level the floor joists and flooring.
  • Temporary Electrics and plumber: temporary electrics and water connected as a short-term fix until funding is secured. 

 

Fundraising

The trustees have obtained funding from specific grants from Uttlesford and Essex County Council. For further information visit our website www.molehillgreenvillagehall.co.uk/funding-recieved

 

The trustees have planned events within the community to raise the profile of the village hall and to raise funds. This has been limited due to the building and ground conditions, however, where it is possible the trustees will use the grounds for events.

 

 

Community Volunteers

The trustees have invited the local community to provide support to help maintain the grounds and help with specific hands-on activities over the last few years.

 

Recently the trustees have set up a sub-committee to help with events and fundraising. This group supported a successful event in December 2024 to celebrate winter festivities and will commence again in the new year.

 

It is hoped that overtime this subcommittee will evolve and include a wider range of residents and professionals across Uttlesford to maximise the opportunity and resources to be successful.

 

 

Public Profile

The trustees have set up a website www.molehillgreenvillagehall.co.uk to raise awareness of the village hall. The trustees are keen to be transparent with the community and public / charitable organisations and to share our success.

 

The charity also uses social media, which includes Facebook/Instagram and X. The trustees mostly use Facebook for local and community engagement.


Our Business Plan
 

“To develop a community hub within Molehill Green that promotes the health and wellbeing of the residents of Takeley”

 

Strategic Ambition

Aligned with our consultation in 2021, the Trustees ambition is to open a community hub. The intention for the building and grounds is to create a multi-functioning space that can cater and support for a variety of community or locally lead activities or events. 

 

The building and grounds will be developed to ensure inclusiveness is key. The end ambition for the building is to ensure that it is  accessible for all users.

 

Inside the building, the main hall will be one level and open planned, with hardwearing flooring for longevity and to cater for a variety of people or events. The kitchen will be set up for commercial use, allowing the opportunity for a café, or allowing for baking, selling or catering. The building has a small office which will be made secure for specific use as well as storage. There will be two toilets within the building, one specifically designed to facilitate our disabled users.

 

The ambition for the grounds is to be used for residents and their children. The space needs to be secure for children. At the back of the hall, the ambition is to create an outside seating space and to have play equipment for children. Our future ambition is to create an extension to increase the internal space, this would be in place of the outside seating, and would widen our opportunities for use within the building. The grounds are large enough for reconfiguration allowing us to relocate seating and a play area.

 

To enable the hall to be used by residents outside of Molehill Green, we would plan for a small car park, potentially to include electric charging points.

 

 

Operating Model

The building and grounds are managed by “Molehill Green Village Hall Charity”, however to ensure the building is maintained the trustees must create an operating model that ensures use of the building and that the building financially stable. To ensure financial stability the Trustee’s reserve the right to charge accordingly, fundamentally ensuring that the building and grounds and maintained, and that it is future proofed. As the charity is a non-profit organisation, trustees will all invest in the community and ensure the community benefit when able.  

 

 

External Presenting issues

The trustees are managing a number of risks and issues within the building and grounds; however, the Village Hall grounds have issues with the ditches outside of the grounds within the wider village. The ditches are contaminated with sewage from the new buildings developed over the last 3 years.

 

The trustees have contacted Uttlesford District Council, Essex County Council, Takeley Parish Council, Environmental Health and the associated developer with residents, however the problem has not been resolved. The trustees have incurred £1000 in expenses as a result as the main water supply was disconnected due to pipe contamination going into the building. Temporary plumbing had to be secured to ensure water can be used within the building whilst we resolve the longer-term issue.

 

The trustees have an element of nervousness when using the grounds due to the contamination and smell around the grounds. This must be escalated to all professional organisations and the associated external derange requires upgrading for the benefit of the village hall users and residents within Molehill Green.

 

Developments

The trustees have accessed the building and grounds and are clear on the key developments/ upgrades prior to the building being open to the public. It is acknowledged that developments will be incremental, however before any real revenue can be created, the building must meet health and safety standards. The table below provides a high level indication of deliverables for the village hall.

 

 

 Completion of Critical Works

  •   Upgrade of Electrics (including heating, lighting and relevant plug sockets) – Quoted Cost £24,500 Plus VAT – Funding Secured
  • Upgrade of Internal Plumbing (including accessible Toilets) – Quoted Cost £5697.58 Including VAT - Funding Secured
  • Upgrade of external plumbing sewerage – to be assessed.
  • Upgrade of Toilet area (converting our old kitchen into 2 useable toilets) – Quoted Cost £5976 Including VAT
  • Level the floor within the kitchen (converting our old toilets into 1 levelled floor space suitable for a future kitchen) – Quoted Cost £1140 including VAT
  • Resolving the buildings airing approach (fixing the grates)


   Completion of  Cosmetic Works

  • Skimming the walls 
  • Painting the walls and securing new skirting boards
  • New flooring (placing a hardwearing floor down to cover floor boards)
  • New flooring for the Toilets and Kitchen Spaces


   Completion of  Health, Safety & Security

  • Ensure the building is set up for security purposes
  • Ensure all health and safety equipment is up to date and functioning.
  • Secure an intruder alarm/CCTV within the building/grounds.


   Ensure we have a Functional Kitchen

  •  Upgrade the kitchen space incorporating a commercial kitchen, this includes the appropriate ventilation, key equipment and storage space that meets the commercial standards/ requirements.
  • Place an emergency exit/door in the kitchen


   Secure Outside Space

  •  Create a door from the main hall into the back of the grounds for an open seated area.
  • Secure an outside shelter (it is noted short term our outside Gazebo can be used)


   Outside Play equipment

  •  Work with SMEs to establish suitable play equipment for children.


  Building Efficiency

  •  Solar panels and storage converters - estimate £8000 - £40,000

 

The trustees reserve the right to change the order of development depending on presenting needs, issues or funding provided to progress these works.


It is acknowledged that although a timeline would be ideal, all developments are subject to funding received and the ability to complete phase 1 of works, which will allow the building to operate for specific activities and events.


Assumptions

The trustees acknowledge that there are a number of assumptions required to meet our strategic objectives. These are:


  • Funds & Finances; that the trustees can obtain the right level of funding and set up community hub appropriately for long time viability.
  • SME’s and Capability; that the trustees can obtain the appropriate capabilities to support the development and maintenance of the building and ensure the building to a high standard reducing any ongoing costs.
  • Building is optimised; that residents, the wider community and local organisations utilise the space effectively. (variety of users x the length of time the building is used)



Measuring Success

Although the overall approach to the renovation of the village hall is subject a variety of factors, the trustees will measure the success by achieving the following outcomes:


  • Community Hub is open; the building is open for use and appropriate operating model supports the use of the building.  
  • Financial Viability: the revenue coming into the building (excluding capital expenditure) is greater than the associated costs for maintaining the building.
  • Customer satisfaction: the profile of the building and use from the community is positive and meets our criteria defined by our charity.