Elleray Hall Reprovision is Becoming a White Elephant as Costs Spiral out of Control
Elleray Hall Reprovision is Becoming a White Elephant as Costs Spiral out of Control. What was envisaged as a cost neutral project for the council is now looking like a £4m hall build that does not even deliver a leading-edge net-zero energy associated housing development for the long term.
Given our climate crisis, one would expect the council to be at the forefront of providing sustainable infrastructure. Despite the Elleray Hall Redevelopment project’s significant shortcomings, as admitted by the planning authority, the council is still continuing to push this misguided and expensive project, having used the “community benefit” rhetoric to get planning permission.
The question now that the true costs are available, is: does this project provide good value for the community, or are there better options?
At conception, the plans were meant to be cost-neutral – but costs are now double the original estimate. Costs were meant to be offset against the sum received from the eventual sale of the Elleray Hall site to a social housing provider, but the sum that the council will receive is now questionable.
The council has so far agreed to subsidise half of the £660k increased build cost to the social housing provider. As the current plan is to construct the new community centre before the sale of the Elleray Hall site is agreed, this potentially exposes the council to the real risk of the social housing provider requiring an increased subsidy as costs rise further in the current economic circumstances.
Otherwise, the social housing provider will not be able to proceed with the project, potentially leaving the existing Elleray Hall abandoned, unsold and derelict.
There is currently no legally binding commitment on the part of the social housing provider to buy the Elleray Hall site. The construction of the new community centre before these matters are resolved could create an enormously expensive white elephant.
The need for a much wider scope for the proposed new community centre has been exaggerated and is not based on any robust evidence. The talk of the new hall being able to offer, amongst other services, the University of the Third Age, is fanciful at a time when children’s services provision, in
particular special needs, and youth mental health services (the University of the First Age!) are experiencing damaging underinvestment.
Overspending on this project and the subsequent diversion of resources from other pressing needs does not represent good value for money and will generate net community harm as funds are diverted from other projects.
We question the council’s priorities and demand a closer assessment of the balance of services provided to all members of our community. A rethink of the proposed plans is urgently required to consider a smaller more inviting hall aimed at our elderly users and to ensure that developments are
socially, financially, ecologically and architecturally sustainable.
These developments are not a ‘done deal’ yet, and should be stopped. Our community, present and future, deserves better!
As well as questioning our councillors about the project, one practical step interested readers may wish to take to influence change, is to object to the closure of the community asset, the North Lane East car park, once the consultation period is announced by the council.
