Update from Ashland Steering Group
We have a meeting place arriving soon...
We’re really pleased to be able to let you know the Meeting Place is getting ever closer.
We know it’s been a rather long journey to get here, especially for those of you who have lived in Ashland for years. Covid hasn’t helped anyone, and certainly not this project. The Parish Council has now approved some additional spend from funds, and alongside this, the deposit for the shipping containers that will form the building has been paid.
So we’re OFF! The containers are due to arrive mid-late May, and the groundworks to ready the site will start in earnest around 4 weeks before. We’ll advise actual dates as soon as we have them, but there might some disruption to the car park area of Penshurst Crescent as the works start. This won’t be for longer than necessary, and we’ll aim to keep any inconvenience to a minimum.
The containers will be craned into position when they arrive, and we hope some children and residents will be able to come along to watch (we’ll certainly be there to take photos!). And this is when the community involvement can really start.
We’ve been given a grant by Guinness to equip the internal aspects of the building, and we thank them for their support. MK College will be supporting us using their students to complete the interior fit out, including plastering, along with masonry inside and out. It’s a brilliant project for the students to work on and should create a great case study that will also promote our Meeting Place in the local area.
And then we need YOU…
We’ll have some landscaping work to do externally, and some Gabions to fill with stones to protect the underside of the building – these are fantastic ways for families to get involved, and we’ll be coming back to you with more details soon on how YOU can take part.
Our building will need a name. Whilst it’s currently known as Ashland Meeting Place (which will remain legally the case), we’d love residents to choose a name.
Lake View, Bank Lodge, Willow Hideaway – you CHOOSE.
Please email your ideas to our clerk... on clerk@simpsonashland-pc.gov.uk by 31st May 2021.
We’re really pleased to be able to let you know the Meeting Place is getting ever closer.
We know it’s been a rather long journey to get here, especially for those of you who have lived in Ashland for years. Covid hasn’t helped anyone, and certainly not this project. The Parish Council has now approved some additional spend from funds, and alongside this, the deposit for the shipping containers that will form the building has been paid.
So we’re OFF! The containers are due to arrive mid-late May, and the groundworks to ready the site will start in earnest around 4 weeks before. We’ll advise actual dates as soon as we have them, but there might some disruption to the car park area of Penshurst Crescent as the works start. This won’t be for longer than necessary, and we’ll aim to keep any inconvenience to a minimum.
The containers will be craned into position when they arrive, and we hope some children and residents will be able to come along to watch (we’ll certainly be there to take photos!). And this is when the community involvement can really start.
We’ve been given a grant by Guinness to equip the internal aspects of the building, and we thank them for their support. MK College will be supporting us using their students to complete the interior fit out, including plastering, along with masonry inside and out. It’s a brilliant project for the students to work on and should create a great case study that will also promote our Meeting Place in the local area.
And then we need YOU…
We’ll have some landscaping work to do externally, and some Gabions to fill with stones to protect the underside of the building – these are fantastic ways for families to get involved, and we’ll be coming back to you with more details soon on how YOU can take part.
Our building will need a name. Whilst it’s currently known as Ashland Meeting Place (which will remain legally the case), we’d love residents to choose a name.
Lake View, Bank Lodge, Willow Hideaway – you CHOOSE.
Please email your ideas to our clerk... on clerk@simpsonashland-pc.gov.uk by 31st May 2021.
Finally, on behalf of the Steering Group, may we thank Lisa Emmanuel, our project manager and Andrew Armes, our architect, who are now working for free to make this happen. Both have also helped to build the hibernaculas which we hope you have all seen! Neither of them are Simpson and Ashland residents and their work is so much appreciated. We’d also like to thank the Parish Council for their support, and the members of the Steering Group who have given up their time to make this happen.
Keep posted for more exciting updates coming soon!
Keep posted for more exciting updates coming soon!