NEWS UPDATE
Time has been passing and you may have been wondering what is happening regarding the new community library building. Building Control Regulations resulted in us having to find a building with a higher standard of fire resistance than originally planned. We also found we needed to install another exit for emergency evacuation purposes. This complicated discussions with manufacturers about the fire resistance of their units, as they had concerns that installing an extra exit would have an impact on their fire certifications.
We have identified a suitable unit and have obtained building control permission for it to be installed. Costs of the project have increased, but we have raised sufficient funding, in liaison with Gnosall Parish Council. The major new contributions came from the Big Lottery Awards for All and Staffordshire County Council’s Local Communities Fund. However, the process has been time-consuming and often frustrating, although we have been grateful for help from Building Control officers whose modus operandi seems to be to assist applicants through the regulations.
There are some happy outcomes to these difficulties. The library unit will be of higher quality and provide a more pleasant environment. The money raised will allow for a refurbishment of the existing unit which will benefit both the youth club and the library. Our additional fire exit will also solve some access problems for the youth club where alternative solutions seemed to be costly.
It was ironic that at the end of this process we were told that the new fire exit requires a variation to our planning permission with another potential delay. We have consulted the Planning Department and whilst an application is necessary, we are advised that it is a relatively routine process.
GLEAN Hub trustees recently took a key decision. We feel that we have sufficient secure undertakings and advice that the project will go ahead. We will now ask the Parish Council, as the eventual owner of the building, to place the order for the building. It will take three months before it is ready for delivery and there is other work to do on it once it is in place. On the other hand we have plenty to do during that period.
We are committed to working constructively with the Parish Council and any other local organisations with common interests. To aid this we have set up the GLEAN Hub charity in such a way that it allows other groups to come within its umbrella if they think that would help them to develop.
If you wish to contact GLEAN, perhaps to offer your services as a volunteer, or provide funding for this excellent cause, please email the group at info@gleanhub.org. To keep in touch with progress, please look at the website www.gleanhub.org