Hampsthwaite’s Memorial Hall has been given the green light for a £230,000 extension and upgrade.
North Yorkshire Council has granted approval for a single-storey front, side and rear extension that will enable the building to provide more activities for villagers.
The current hall was built in 1967 after a timber hut hastily assembled in 1952 to commemorate villagers who fell in the two world wars burned down.
It has become the main community location for residents of Hampsthwaite and surrounding villages. The Hampsthwaite Players put on four drama performances a year and the hall also hosts weekly community payback sessions.
But the growth of the village has left the ageing building in need of improvement.
Hampsthwaite Players performs at the venue four times a year.
Geoff Howard, chair of Hampsthwaite Memorial Hall and a parish councillor, said the project was expected to cost about £230,000.
About £130,000 has been secured from housebuilders as part of section 106 agreements agreed with North Yorkshire Council to mitigate the impact of development. It is hoped grant applications will secure most of the remaining £100,000 required.
Mr Howard said:
“The key issue is we have nowhere for any practical arts and crafts activities. We need a more practical environment.”
Mr Howard said, like many villages, Hampsthwaite needed a better community facility because the population was growing and public transport was worsening, making it harder for many people to get in and out of Harrogate. He said:
“There is nowhere many people can go and we want them to be able to come here. Many folk live on their own and don’t go out.
“With so little public transport, there is a greater need for things to do in villages. This will provide somewhere where more activities can take place and people can meet socially.”
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Steve Wood, a local architect, donated time to help design drawings for the planning application.
A design and access statement, submitted in support of the application, said Hampsthwaite Players were “hampered by cramped wing spaces, poor backstage facilities and limited scenery, costume and props storage”.
It added the extension would enable activities including a repair cafe, a men’s shed and practical learning classes.
The hall, on Hollins Lane, is in Hampsthwaite Conservation Area. Three trees will be felled.
The council case officer’s report said:
“The proposed extensions would wrap around the south end of the existing building and are considered to be a suitably subservient design.”
