Split responses to £3.8m community centre plans

Residents are split on whether a part of Telford should get a new £3.8 million community centre, a meeting heard.

Lawley & Overdale Parish Council has been given a very early look at the results of a consultation exercise carried out in the summer about plans for a new-build centre off Bryce Way.

Parish council clerk Jill Holland told a meeting on Monday (September 15) that just over 200 responses had been made from some 5,000 forms delivered during a consultation which closed earlier this month. It was also possible for people to respond online.

“We have had a low number of responses,” the clerk said. “They have not been analysed yet but there are some very good, informative comments.”

The clerk said 118 responses support a new building but 84 do not. The results showed that a majority do not want their council tax to rise to help pay for it.

“We are taking time to analyse the data and a more comprehensive report will be compiled,” the clerk said.

The consultation exercise is being carried out to help clarify the plans and the final design, which will be submitted as part of a planning application later this year.

The meeting heard that a section of the population has no intention of using a community centre.

And there is “confusion” about the council’s precept, what it can be used for, and a need for more information about what parish councils do.

But there is also a need to tackle “social isolation” among many locals, the meeting was told. There is a demand for more volunteering opportunities, a community cafe, and a place for students to study away from home.

Lawley and Overdale Parish Council has plans to increase its share of the council tax by around 44p per week on a Band D property to pay back Telford & Wrekin Council for a proposed 40-year loan at an annual fixed rate of £263,113 per annum.

The parish council would also sell its office in Lawley Square to contribute to the budget. It was valued at £150,000 in February 2021.

The current Lawley Community Centre, in Arleston Lane, is in the former assembly hall of a Victorian school building.

But the meeting heard that more space is needed for activities for the local population, which has trebled from 5,000 to nearly 15,000 residents in 20 years.

The councils are due to take feedback into account before a planning application is lodged.

If planning permission is granted, work could start on the site next year with the new community centre open in 2027.