Background

a  Introduction

The Community Centre project is intended to provide a benefit not only to the village of Dalmally but also to the immediate wider communities of Lochawe village, Bridge of Orchy, Portsonachan and the individual homes throughout the Awe Ward of Argyll and Bute Council (essentially the Parish of Glen Orchy and Innishail). The population of the area is 565, of which 325 (58%) live in Dalmally.

Dalmally is a growing community with several new housing developments planned and underway.   There is a thriving primary school (the roll of which is rising and projected to continue rising), local grocery store, pharmacy, post office and health centre.

The present Dalmally hall was built 96 years ago as a TA drill hall, it is small, has very limited storage areas, and its corrugated iron construction allows for little heat retention.   Its fabric is in poor condition despite several rounds of renovation and regular maintenance. It is often difficult to find funding for this as it is obviously at the end of its useful live.

The area urgently needs a purpose-built facility that can accommodate the full range of the community’s interests and activities.   As Dalmally continues to increase in size and the hall continues to deteriorate with age, the need will increase with time.   It is possible that future regulations regarding the facilities, access and safety of public halls will result in closure.

It is likely that population growth is being restricted by the lack of affordable housing and the perception of poor local services and facilities rather than by lack of employment opportunities.   Crucially important for the sustainable development of the area is the retention and recruitment of young adults and families, and this requires appropriate and flexible indoor community facilities.

Our vision is of a thriving, dynamic, healthy community where the traditions of inclusion of young and elderly are carried forward via access to appropriate cultural, sporting, educational and support services.

b  Public Consultation

The lack of facilities discussed is well known to the community.   In order to test public concern, a public meeting was held in Dalmally in 1998 to discuss the situation.   This was well attended and the meeting determined to set up a steering committee to determine the best course of action.   This committee undertook a public consultation by questionnaire to determine what type of facilities the community wished to see.   The subsequent evolution of this committee into a charitable association and finally in 2002 into a charitable Community Company Limited by Guarantee has been communicated to the public through annual public meetings and via the community council’s newsletter.   The current project has the enthusiastic endorsement of the local community as evidenced by their continued, 100% support of the New Hall “100 Club”.

c  Evidence of Need

Even though it is inadequate for almost all its current users, demand is great, especially though the winter months, with a wide variety of clubs and societies making use of the Hall. A list of active local groups is given in Annex 2. There are no alternatives in Dalmally and the Loch Awe Village Hall has many of the same problems.   Dalmally Hall is currently booked every weekday night during the winter, despite a serious lack of appropriate facilities or suitable degree of comfort. Some activities, such as Badminton which is a staple of most Village Halls, is severely constrained by the low and obstructed ceiling. The Christmas Pantomime has to be run over 3 nights because the Hall cannot cope with the demand, which not only highlights the inadequacy of the facilities, but is clear evidence that the community is fully supportive of community activities and will play its part in securing the long-term future of the Hall through active use.

Diversification of activities is currently restricted both by the availability of the hall, by its size and by its lack of storage facilities - with only a single room, all equipment etc. has to be disassembled immediately after use to enable the facility to be available to the next user, and this restricts certain activities e.g. exhibitions of local antiquities and crafts.

Evidence of need includes:

1. The present facilities cannot accommodate touring companies such as the Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera and National Orchestras touring programmes, which would be well supported by the local community on the evidence of attendances at drama and cultural events that can be staged in the current hall. It is known that 150 people can turn up to see local drama events. Smaller touring companies such as Mull Little Theatre and the Puppet Animation Festival do visit but better premises would give a much better experience for both the performers and the audience.
2. Some activities known to be popular in village halls, such as Badminton, Indoor Football and Shinty, cannot be held in the current hall which limits the availability of indoor sport throughout the winter in particular.
3. The current facilities are so limited that weekend dances, which should be a useful supplement to Hall income, rarely break even because the facilities are so unattractive that few people attend.
4. There is a large potential from hosting wedding receptions and birthday parties in the hall, currently rarely exploited only because of the inadequate facilities.
5. There are over 15 active local organisations in Dalmally all of whom would use the Hall, or would use the Hall more, if it had suitable facilities and/or space.
6. In basic Health and Safety, and Hygiene, terms the existing Hall falls far below the minimum acceptable standard and it is only a matter of time before its Public Entertainment Licence is revoked.
7. The current Hall does not accommodate the Physical Education needs of Dalmally Primary School, whose Head Teacher is fully supportive of the new Hall.
8. Because of the limitations of the Hall a number of income opportunities are not available, such as Exhibitions and Craft Fairs.

Dalmally Village Hall constructed circa 1910

d  The Solution

We propose the construction of a new community facility in Dalmally to address our existing and future needs.   We have considered the existing needs and estimated those of an increasing population.   We propose 2 consecutive projects: the first will involve the construction of the new Community Centre together with its associated access road and car park.   The second project will involve the construction of a sports field on adjacent land, and changing rooms being built on to the community centre (the plans of the Centre have been made with this in view).

New Community Centre Plans pages show the outline plans for the new building which will better meet the needs of the present and future residents of the Dalmally area. The plan for the Centre has been refined through several iterations.   The local community and representatives from the main user groups have been consulted and their proposals have been incorporated into the plan.   Outline planning consent has been granted. An application for full planning consent is in progress.

Key elements of the new Community Centre will be:

1. Suitable design including appropriate layout and storage to allow the programme of music and the arts events to be expanded.
2. Ceiling height which will accommodate Badminton
3. Appropriate specification which will allow for indoor sports such as Shinty and Football, albeit played to modified rules. This, in particular, will allow for the introduction of the junior, indoor, version of Shinty.
4. Dedicated Meeting Room for use by local organisations
5. Suitable Kitchen to support a variety of events
6. Attractive yet functional décor which will enhance events such as Craft Fairs, Exhibitions and Public Consultations.
7. A large purpose built furniture storage area and individual storage lockers for the organisations using the centre.

Dalmally and the surrounding area is a vibrant and inclusive community and the new Community Centre will be well supported. An expanded range of activities and events will help secure the long-term sustainability of the Centre.

e  The Site

An area of land to the east of Dalmally village has been identified as the only possible site for a new development.   Several site meetings have been held with local and strategic planners who have indicated that this is an appropriate venue.   The site has been incorporated in the local development plan for this purpose. A full professional geophysical investigation of the site has confirmed its suitability for our purposes.

The site of approximately 2.4 hectares is on gently sloping ground and has sufficient width to contain a full sized sports field, access road, car park and community centre.   In 2002, Dalmally Community Company was successful in gaining a community land fund grant to cover the purchase of the site. The purchase was finalised in July 2003.

During 2002, a long-awaited Health Centre was built by the Health Trust allowing entry to the Site via a common access from the trunk road.   The local pharmacy and post office relocated to a site adjacent to the Health Centre in the spring of 2004. Together with the availability of new building plots, the range of developments thus proposed for this area will offer a significant increase in the profile of Dalmally village with the clustering of all the main facilities.