Green Hill Arts Project Background

Green Hill Arts Project (at the old primary school): BACKGROUND

The Old School as it was.

The Project

Since the Primary School moved out in September 2007, the Dartmoor National Park have clearly said that the much-loved older, Victorian building on the southern part of the site should remain in community use when Devon County Council sells off the northern part for housing. The most recent Parish Appraisal identified several possibilities for its use, and these have been combined in a plan to refurbish it as:

 

  • A high-quality base for young people in the town (in the East Wing;)

  • An arts and heritage centre - to showcase local talent, stage exhibitions and to support the local arts and crafts community;

  • A new and accessible learning / IT suite for the Adult and Community Learning Centre;

  • Studios for artists and craftspeople, offices and workshops for businesses and community groups;

  • Services such as the Parish Council, Citizens Advice and possibly the Police, all under one roof.

This meets a community need for a youth centre (since the closure of the Plymouth Inn) and provides better, more accessible spaces for public services.  It also provides Moretonhampstead with a focus for business and tourism development, creating new office space alongside a new tourist attraction for the town that will also support our vibrant, local arts community.

A long held and underlying aim in developing the Old School project is not just to meet local needs and provide local services, but also to create a viable building.  For us this means that it will cover it's costs and generate surplus revenue that can be ploughed back into local community development, for example through a local grants scheme.Old Primary School today

Devon County Council have recently agreed to offer the building on a long lease and peppercorn (free) rent and have committed to funding the refurbishment and ongoing running costs of the Youth side. The Greater Dartmoor Local Enterprise Action Group funded development work last year, including architects fees, surveys etc. and the Development Trust continues to be in discussion with other organisations to secure further necessary funding and finance. 

As a part of the fundraising we have also launched a Community Appeal to raise £20,000.  Community support will demonstrate local commitment for the project and help us attract further funding.  So we have set up a funding appeal which we hope residents will want to support.   

If you would like more information, or can offer any help, please contact Katheryn Hope at the Development Trust on 440775 or email admin@moretonhampstead.com

We very much appreciate any donation you can gve towards the project. You may donate with a cheque made out to 'Moretonhampstead Development Trust' sent directly to us, by cash or using the secure paypal link below. Otherwise please contact Julia on the above number.

We have now taken possession of the building and hope to complete the building work by October 2011. Can we emphasise that we have to make sure the project is a viable, self-financing business from the day it opens, and not a drain on public or charitable funds. To this end the Development Trust is working with Devon County Council officers and consulting those with experience of running such schemes elsewhere. We think this project will benefit all sections of our community and we do hope you will want to support it.

John Willis (Chair, Development Trust), Ron Jones (Chair, Parish Council), Peter Middleton (Chair, Business Association)

Please give your donation here:

The Old School in years gone byDays gone by for our old Primary School.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To download an architect's plan of the proposed interior of the project please click on this link.

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