At the new village hall site, the Project progresses, albeit steadily, towards the construction phase.

In the last issue, we reported that, for reasons largely beyond the control of the Project, the build costs for both the hall and the affordable houses had risen exponentially during the Covid-19 period and the geopolitical uncertainties that have followed it – and which are still with us today. A further blow came when, late last year, the Government announced the closure of the Community Ownership Fund, which had previously confirmed that the Project met the criteria for the submission of a bid – which in this case would have been for £250,000.

As a result, we asked those contractors who had submitted tenders to review their costs and the build/design specifications upon which they were based through a process that we termed value engineering. In conjunction with the Project Architect, Tony Hills, this exercise aimed to secure significant cost savings without compromising the overall design or functionality of the proposed builds. Any proposed modifications or adjustments will be clearly signed off by the structural engineers responsible for the original design and by Tony.

So far, this exercise has focused on the new village hall, as it is crucial for this to be built within the next two and a half years to comply with conditions in the Section 106 Agreement created by the former South Lakeland District Council (now Westmorland and Furness Council (W&FC)). One of the companies initially approached in the tender process has come back with very positive indications that, by adopting engineering modifications and specification adjustments, the village hall can be brought in within the funds currently raised by and available to the Project. The Project has been working hard with structural engineers to confirm what modifications will be acceptable within the footprint of the current design. At this stage, the indications are looking positive, and the Project hopes to accept a revised tender in the not-too-distant future.

On the construction phase of the affordable homes, most of the groundwork at Underhill has now been completed, and costs have been agreed with Electricity Northwest Ltd and United Utilities for electricity and water supply respectively. Four temporary standpipes will be installed before 10 March, ready for the water connection, which will happen sometime after. Emplacement of the electricity duct and subsequent supply has, however, been waiting for some time for a permit from the Environment Agency, as the works will be taking place within the prescribed boundary of the Catchwater Drain – which is classed as a main river.

The Project will need to look again at funding for the affordable homes. So far, it has contributed a significant amount of match funding through enhancement of the value of the land at Underhill by gaining planning consent and by investing a considerable amount of quantifiable voluntary management time. Funding secured for the affordables amounts to over half a million pounds, but the Project will need to raise additional resources to be able to build both the homes at Underhill and on the old Village Institute site. The loss of Community Led Funding for the new Village Hall has impacted this element of the Project, as gaining that would have released the anticipated contribution to the affordable home element. The Project is applying for a grant under the W&F Affordable Homes Grant scheme and has discussed the current position in detail with the Housing Development Officer at W&FC and representatives of South Lakes Housing.