16 January

Wiltshire Council send out letters to neighbours detailing the planning application they have received.

Application No: PL/2023/10811

Further Details: Click Here

22 December

We have been awarded a total of £300,000 grant from the Government ‘Community Ownership Fund’. This funding will provide much needed support for rebuilding the Community Hub in the village of Bromham.

November 2023

Planning permission submitted.

23 October

Visit from Lottery representative, gave us the opportunity to show them the site of the old hall and pay a short visit to the Clubhouse to see the work of Monday Club. This was followed by a meeting to discuss our current application and how to best position this to give us the best opportunity to be successful.

We are still waiting on final plans and survey results from the architects, before the PC can give their final approval and submit planning permission.

11th October 2023

Second submission to the COF.

National Lottery - we have passed stage 1 in their application process and we are now actually talking to them, as we prepare our formal responses.

October 2023

Bromham Community Hub branding and website go live!

Second submission to COF for £250,000 grant.

We are accepted onto easyfundraising scheme where brands will donate to our cause for free when you shop with them. Please sign up here.

August 2023

Submission to National Lottery.

July 2023

Village consultation on dissolving Bromham Social Centre charity trust – 73% voted in favour of dissolving Bromham Social Centre charity.

At first, attempts have been unsuccessful in securing a COF grant – we are not deterred and will apply again!

Surveys are instructed to be done in preparation for submission of plans for planning permission – e.g. Ecological assessment, ground contamination, arboricultural report etc.

June 2023

Presentation from Oxford Architects of first draft proposed plans – the masterplan incorporating potential future development of the surrounding sites, field and car park – the immediate focus being the rebuilding of Bromham Community Hub – other aspects of the masterplan included so that we ensure the Hub is in the right location.

Village consultation on the proposed Hub design and a show of hands indicated unanimous support for the design. 

May 2023

Initial consultation with Wiltshire planning officers to establish planning application requirements.

Architects present initial design for Hub. Further design workshop with Architects and rebuild committee.

April 2023

Application sent to Community Ownership Fund for fundraising of £250,000 following extensive work preparing application, research and business plan.

Appointed Oxford Architects, with prior experience of similar projects.

6th April 2023

Following advice from charity specialists Wilsons Solicitors we submit an application to the Charity Commission to register Bromham Community Hub as a CIO – Parish Council approves this and understands the intention is for the CIO to replace the unincorporated charity Bromham Social Centre.

March 2023

Rebuild Committee with Parish Council appoints the initial Trustees of the CIO.

February 2023

We prepare a design brief and send it to six architects for them to tender for the design.

January 2023

We are invited to submit a Community Ownership Fund (COF) bid and take steps to create a CIO (charitable incorporated organisation) to ensure we qualify to submit such a bid – in order to raise funding which the village wanted (the village didn’t want precept borrowing) we had to create CIO to apply for COF and National Lottery funding.

November 2022

Village turns down the option of borrowing money against the village precept – votes to borrow nil rather than £250,000 or £500,000 – public presentation in Church and village with consultation – heavily weighted in favour of not borrowing anything and so we must move on to fundraising in earnest to ensure adequate budget for the build the village overall wants.

October 2022

Discussions about the size of the loan to put on the village precept and the process to go through.

Asset search against roofer proves inconsequential - not worthwhile pursuing a claim against the roofer personally.

10th October 2022

Received confirmation from DACB that the roofer’s insurers are denying policy cover for the fire – the roofer is refused cover so we cannot pursue a claim against his insurance company due to the restrictive covenants within the policy – he or his roofers failed to remove all combustible material 15 meters away from the naked flame or cover it in overlapping non-combustible sheets/fire blanket, a person should work alongside the person using the flame to ensure no outbreak of fire and fire-fighting equipment on hand, and upon completion of the work they must check the vicinity and the other side of the wall/roof where heat was applied immediately, then after 30 minutes, then after 1 hour – for these reasons – the cover was denied to the roofer.

3rd October 2022

Particulars of the claim in draft served on the roofer and DACB to encourage policy cover response.

October 2022

Work commences on a business plan for the new village hall.

September 2022

We draw down the remainder of the insurance monies from Aviva to arrive in the Parish Council’s bank account - £751,967.

August/September 2022

Lots of work in the background around design parameters of the new build – analysing the survey results.

1st June 2022

No response from DACB so a barrister is instructed to prepare particulars of the claim in order to issue our claim and take the roofer and AXA to court.

The Owl and the flat above the hall have their own separate contents insurance which they have claimed against.

20th April 2022

Acknowledgement received from DACB – should have been within 14 days of LOC. Extension of time requested to 1st June 2022 to respond to the claim.

22nd March 2022

Aviva attempted to force us to accept 36.28% of the sum we were insured for, as we were only 36.28% insured against the actual rebuild cost (£750,000 cover compared to £2.5m we actually needed). We contest this and Aviva backs down – disaster avoided!

18th March 2022

Formal Letter of Claim sent to the roofer c/o DACB – they have 28 days to provide a full response.

March 2022

RPC instructed a barrister for a specialist opinion on the claim and to assist in preparing the Letter of Claim.

We finalise contents claims, collating all data, for the various clubs who had equipment stored in the building.

February 2022

Work carried out by RPC finalising disclosure to be sent to DACB together with Letter of Claim.

Efforts were made to visit other halls to see options out there – this took place over a few months.

Regular updates throughout in The Hoot, a volunteer-run, advertisement-funded magazine delivered to every house in the parish of Bromham.

January 2022

After no response on policy cover or liability from DACB, RPC commenced work on the letter of claim. A lot of work has been involved up until now gathering evidence for this, and this continues over the coming weeks and months.

Investigations underway into legal ownership of the Social Centre – considering the original trust deeds, Charity Commission website, and Land Registry and understand the relationship between the Parish Council, Social Centre Management Committee and Bromham Social Centre charity, to determine appropriate ‘owner’ able to issue a claim.

16th December 2021

The first deadline for response to the Notice Letter from AXA – passes without a response on liability or policy cover for the claim. They have instructed DACB solicitors to act for them.

Indication from RPC given that AXA may be considering accepting policy cover but might defend part of the claim – potentially positive news…

December 2021

A fundraising event for the rebuild was organised on New Year’s Eve by the Greyhound Pub. Included raffle prizes.

November 2021

Christmas cards designed and printed to raise funds commence.

Amazon Smile account was created to raise funds.

A Café run by village volunteers starts on a Thursday and Friday morning running from the clubhouse raising funds for the rebuild of the new social centre. To date, the Café run by volunteers has raised just over £20,000. The village has raised a further £10,000 through tea towels, Christmas cards, and ad hoc donations.

6th October 2021

Expert report on rebuild cost completed - £2,546,056 estimated to replace old Social Centre like for like.

The Chairman of Bromham FC arranged to connect the defibrillator and heating installation at the temporary clubhouse cabin.

5th October 2021

Rebuild meeting – hard-standing being laid on site of old Social Centre. 138 survey results from the village received so far and counting!

22nd September

Acknowledgement from the roofer – he’s sent the Notice Letter to his insurance company – AXA have three months (industry standard) to respond to the Notice Letter.

21st September 2021

Additional parishioners co-opted onto the Rebuild Committee.

A survey has been sent out to the village about what they would like to see in the new building – approx. 50 online responses and 20 paper responses received so far.

Instructed a Quantity Surveyor to prepare a rebuild cost (like for like) expert report to assist in progressing a claim against the roofer.

13th September 2021

Notice letter sent to the roofer by RPC.

September 2021

Confirmation from our DAS Legal Expenses Insurance that we must pursue our claim via our insurance company AVIVA and their solicitors RPC.

August 2021

We begin pursuing the insurance ourselves following lacklustre progress with the loss adjusters so far.

July 2021

The Clubhouse, a portable cabin, arrives in Bromham! This has had ramps added, railings, etc. with full working facilities.

June/July 2021

The ruin that was left was completely demolished and cleared due to health and safety concerns, and it being an obvious eyesore.

June 2021

Bromham Social Centre Rebuild Committee formed by Bromham Parish Council – a number of Parish Councillors plus parishioners form the committee.

We discovered immediately the building had been significantly under-insured – by how much it is too difficult to determine yet without a QS rebuild cost report. Insurance covers us for approx. £750k buildings and £50k contents. The likely rebuild cost is thought to be £1.5m - £2.3m.

14th June 2021

The Fire - During maintenance and repair work to a flat roof section of the old Social Centre fire took hold and ripped through the building destroying everything within. The hall, The Owl, the residential flat above.