Aston Clinton Parish win huge grant for new community centre

Aston Clinton Parish Council has been waiting for the outcome of an application for a grant from AVDC's New Homes Bonus Funding Scheme to build a new Community Centre to replace the current Pavilion.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Jan 2019, 08:37 BST
Updated 11th Jan 2019, 08:43 BST
The parish council held public consultation events leading up to the application deadline and the results were unanimously in favour of the new Centre and of the designs on display.The parish council held public consultation events leading up to the application deadline and the results were unanimously in favour of the new Centre and of the designs on display.
The parish council held public consultation events leading up to the application deadline and the results were unanimously in favour of the new Centre and of the designs on display.

And it's good news for local residents!

The parish council released a statement that said: "The parish council is very pleased to announce that the application was successful and that AVDC has awarded a grant of up to £650,000 towards the project, the largest in the history of the scheme.

"The parish council is delighted that this project will provide residents with a modern and fit-for-purpose facility to bring people and groups together and meet the demands of Aston’s Clinton’s growing community.

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In addition, the project has been allocated over £1m in contributions from developers, (S106 funding) which, along with some council reserves has made the project viable.

Councillor Howard Mordue, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources:

"I congratulate Aston Clinton Parish Council for their well-deserved success in securing New Homes Bonus funding of £650,000 towards building a new community centre. I'm sure the new facility will prove to be a valuable asset to the village and its growing community for years to come."

The New Homes Bonus is a grant paid by central government to local councils, to reflect housing growth in their areas.

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The parish council held public consultation events leading up to the application deadline and the results were unanimously in favour of the new Centre and of the designs on display.

The new designs include a modern, two storey building with an upstairs function room and balcony overlooking the park, as well as a large multi-purpose hall downstairs.

The current Café and soft play will be staying, with another multi-use café/bar area upstairs, as well as accommodation for sports – showers and changing rooms, kitchen, serving areas and meeting rooms.

An upstairs terrace is planned with view looking across the park to the Chilterns.

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Work has already begun on project planning, led by a dedicated committee of councillors, staff and members of the public with expertise in certain areas.

It is planned that construction work will start towards the latter part of 2019 (and will take approximately 1.5 years to complete). The new community centre will help to bring people and groups together in this growing but friendly village.