Whirlow Development Plans

24.5.2022

The council have recently written to a number of neighbours about our development work - from the phone calls we've had it seems a bit of clarification is needed!

Many of you will be aware that there's been a lot of development work going on at the Trust for the past year or so - certainly our neighbours who are most affected.  It's all the result of the planning application that was approved a couple of years ago to build a second education centre and develop a larger cafe.  The fantastic cafe was completed last summer and has been busy ever since.  Work on our new education centre began in January this year and is still on track, give or take the odd supply hiccup, to be completed in the autumn.  Exciting times!

A number of factors - inflation and spiralling costs included - meant that we had to make some minor changes to the design of the education centre.  These reduced the total size of the building and removed a couple of the covered outdoor areas.  But the design, materials and overall scale of the building remain largely unchanged by the amendments - the casual observer was unlikely to notice any difference.  The new plans are on the Council's planning portal for those that want to take a look at them.

But the fact that we have made some changes mean that the Council's planning department is required to inform neighbours - and some have been worried that the changes were plans to further develop the facilities concerned.  This is not the case and those that we have spoken to have been reasssured by our confirmation that, to all intents and purposes, nothing has really changed.  We're not planning any additional work on the cafe, and we can't wait for the education centre to be complete - largely as intended - so that we can help even more youngsters from across the city.

Thank you everyone - and particularly our neighbours - for all your support and understanding whislt this work is completed.  We're sure it'll be worth it!!