Rowledge Village Hall

The next 100 years for South Farnham’s most important Community Hub

Rowledge Village Hall (RVH) is by far the most well-used, open-to-everyone, low-cost community building within South Farnham. It has served this area well for over a hundred years, run entirely by the community, for the community. The existing RVH has a large main hall, together with an attractive smaller front hall.

However, it is facing an imminent threat of closure. The lightweight un-insulated structure, with no foundations, has long been an issue, but during the pandemic the halls were left damp and unheated for extended periods – leading to rapid deterioration of the building fabric. Everyone now agrees that a new hall is the only way forward.

Planning Consent Granted and New Site Purchase In Progress

It is fortunate for us all that, just in time, an excellent site became available on Fullers Road - a perfect size and location close to other village facilities. The RVH Trustees signed an option deal to buy the site, which was affordable from our existing cash reserves. After extensive public consultations, a Planning Application was made and Consent was granted in October 2022.

The new site is close to the Recreation Ground, School and Sports Clubs. It is surrounded by mature trees and will have attractive gardens to the front and rear. There will be on-site parking for twenty-one cars (including four EV Fast-chargers and three disabled spaces). The two halls within the new building will be similar in size to the current ones, but the new central lobby will ensure good acoustic separation and allow direct access to the kitchen & toilets from both sides.

Eventually, the existing hall will be sold as housing development land, but will remain in use until the new hall is complete.

Our new Village Hall will make many additional community activities possible

The existing hall supports a wide range of weekly exercise classes as well as many social, cultural and family events - quite literally from the cradle to the grave. (See our website for details). Despite the poor condition of the existing building, the frequency and variety of activities far exceed any other community facility in South Farnham. We look forward to working with all our existing users in a new Zero-carbon Community Building, fit for the 21st century and beyond. With a new hall many new activities will be possible, including fully catered events; Amateur Dramatics; Choir rehearsals; Men-in Sheds and a Gardening Club. We also expect to welcome back some who have left recently because of the dilapidations and the lack of parking, such as: Mother & Toddlers, Pre-school children; Ballroom Dancing and the WI.

Please register your Support – it will only take a minute.

We are seeking £800,000 from ‘Your Fund Surrey’ towards a total project budget of £2.95 million

If you would like to see this project happen, please show your support in the comments box below.

To find out more, please visit our website here: https://www.rowledgevillagehall.com/new-hall-project/

See also our Social Media pages: https://www.facebook.com/rowledgevillagehall/?locale=en_GB