Category Archives: Project management

Ten years on, the Tamar Valley trails are flourishing

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Back in 2003 I started working with the Tamar Valley AONB, writing the business plan and funding applications for what would become the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project.

Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project early logoIt was an audacious project, born of a dream to conserve the increasingly forgotten mining heritage of the Tamar Valley and give the public access to the adits, railways, calcifiers and beautiful landscape.

£6m investment in the Tamar Valley

The project finally started in 2007 with £6m from nine funders, seven delivery partners and agreements with multiple landowners. Along the way there were many challenges not least the withdrawal of financial support by a key partner, Devon County Council, straight after the 2009 elections which resulted in another partner, Morwellham and Tamar Valley Trust, being pushed into receivership. The loss of Morwellham Quay from the project was a bitter blow but the hard work and commitment of the AONB and other partners saw the project through and finally in 2013 we saw the official launch.

Tamar Trails are a success!

Now threee years later the project is bedded in.  The project legacy is managed by the Tamar Community Trust, a social enterprise specially setup for the purpose, while the visitor hub is run by Tamar Adventures, a local business that provides cycle hire, high ropes, canoe trips and a host of other activities.  Their video gives a great taste of what’s on offer.

And the project even extended to include a Mountain Bike Development Project and the stomach churning Gawton Gravity Hub (more successful business planning and funding applications).

Impact!

Sometimes in this line of work it’s hard to point to the difference you make.  The timescales are long, many people are involved, sometimes projects end up doing something different to the initial intent.  But with the Tamar Trails the results and the difference are there and plain to see. Take a trip there and enjoy the place!

Julian

Stogursey Victory Hall has funding approved

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Stogursey Victory HallStogursey Victory Hall has had £400,000 funding approved by West Somerset Council.  The funding will go towards a major upgrade to the hall including refurbishment of the existing hall, an extension with new kitchen, function room and toilets, new changing rooms adjacent to the MUGA, a cover for the MUGA, car parking and landscaping.

In approving the funding members of the Council said that there had been a very impressive 25% response rate to consultation on the proposals. They added that they felt it was an excellent flagship project which would be of huge benefit to the community and a great legacy.

Funding applications have also been submitted to Sport England and Awards for All.

During 2015 we worked with Vivid Regeneration to prepare a feasibility study for the refurbishment.  We’ve been retained to write some of the funding applications and take the project forward to the appointment of architects.

Lawrence Weston – first step to Lottery funding

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lawrence weston community hubLawrence Weston Community Hub has passed the first hurdle on its way to securing Lottery funding from the Reaching Communinities programme.

The funding will go towards the cost of providing community facilities in the building as well as management costs in the first few years.

Now it’s a matter of preparing the Stage 2 bid, and then the Stage 3 bid!

The bid writing is being done by the wonderful Helen Bone at Vivid Regeneration. We’re doing the work on the business plan (as well as overall project management).

About the Lawrence Weston Community Hub

Lawrence Weston Community Hub is a new building that will contain a range of services including health, social, economic and education for the community. It is a project being led by Ambition Lawrence Weston in partnership with the City Council and Ridingleaze Surgery. Planning permission was granted in December and we are now working on securing the funding package before moving to detailed design and construction.

 

Planning permission for Lawrence Weston Community Hub

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Lawrence Weston Community HubResidents were celebrating today when it was finally confirmed that the Lawrence Weston Community Hub has been given planning permission.

The community hub will provide a much needed facility for the 7,000 residents of Lawrence Weston, a large estate on the north west side of Bristol close to Avonmouth docks and the M5.

Over the years the estate has lost many facilities.  When local development trust Ambition Lawrence Weston carried out research into a new community plan it became apparent that the health and wellbing of residents was suffering.  The idea to invest and replace much of the crumbling infrastructure was then born.

New GP Surgery

The Lawrence Weston Community Hub will be developed on part of the site previously occupied by the City of Bristol College. It will include a new GP surgery to replace the one on Ridingleaze, new clinical treatment rooms, a replacement library, a pharmacy, cafe, community rooms, nursery and office space for hire.

Lawrence Weston Community Hub elevations

The planning application was submitted in March but a decision was slowed down as clarification was sought on traffic impacts, noise impacts and replacement trees. Now that permission has been granted the decisions on capital funding can be made, especially by the City Council and NHSE.

Who’s involved in the Lawrence Weston Community Hub?

Ambition Lawrence Weston are leading the project in partnership with Bristol City Council and the GP Surgery / NHSE / CCG.  2MD are providing project management, working in collaboration with Vivid Regeneration who are leading on funding applications. The Lawrence Weston Community Hub has been designed by GCP architects.

Stogursey Victory Hall plans get thumbs up

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Stogursey Victory Hall

The people of Stogursey have approved proposals to refurbish and improve the Victory Hall.

Throughout 2015 the Victory Hall Committee has been working with Stogursey Parish Council, West Somerset Council, 2MD Regeneration and Vivid Regeneration to work out how best to improve the 60 year old hall.  After much consultation with local people, groups and businesses the Committee has agreed on three major steps:

  • The old youth centre will be demolished
  • The existing Victory Hall will be refurbished and extended to include a new youth centre, an additional function room, a new and larger kitchen and new toilets.
  • The existing all weather sports pitch will be covered and be extended with new changing rooms.

Chris Ford, Chair of the Victory Hall Committee, said “The Victory Hall has served us well but times move on and the requirements we have of the building have changed. The sports facilities in particular need to be improved and young people also deserve better. The proposals will help provide a 21st century facility for Stogursey and ensure we are a healthy and vibrant community.”

How we worked with local people in Stogursey

In early 2015 we carried out an in-depth consultation with local people.  By recruiting  and training a team of community researchers we were able to door-knock every household in the parish.  Stogursey community researchersWe asked people which community facilities they used, what they used the Victory Hall for, what new facilities they would like and whether they wanted to get involved.
Together with visits to local groups we were able to get 315 responses, representing 23% of the parish population.

The responses informed the proposed designs, along with one-to -one meetings and workshops with local stakeholders, including the operators of other community facilities in the village.

Stogursey consultation cartoonIn the summer we consulted again, this time on the proposed designs.  We delivered a leaflet to every household in the parish, put the proposals on-line, produced a disply and held a number of meetings and drop-in events around the village.  Of the people who responded, over 90% gave their support to the proposals.

Next steps for Stogursey Victory Hall

The next step will be to apply for funding for the works, estimated at £2.5m.  2MD Regeneration and Vivid Regeneration will be retained to work on the fundraising and the process of securing planning permission.

More details including the scheme designs are at http://stogurseyvictoryhall.org.uk

Solar panels installed at Wiveliscombe Primary School

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Wiveliscombe Primary School has installed 4Kw of solar panels on its roof.  Julian, who is a Governor at the school, project managed the process that had Eco-Exmoor install the panels on the weekend of 25-26 February.  The school has registered with Good Energy as the FIT provider, and there will be a display in the early years block showing the children exactly how much energy the panels are producing.