A new Community Hub has opened at Hareshill in Fleet, which will serve the neighbourhood as a centre for play groups, exercise classes and community gatherings.
The new state of the art community building is kitted out with two halls, a meeting room, fully equipped-kitchen, toilet facilities and 50 parking spaces. The building will be managed by Crookham Village Parish Council who will use it to facilitate a variety of local groups including baby classes, fitness and yoga sessions, and youth groups. It will also be available for hire for wedding receptions, christenings, birthday parties and other events.
The hub is designed to be low carbon, with energy-efficient building materials, 36 solar panels and an air source heat pump for heating. Berkeley has an ambitious, holistic approach for climate action, which includes designing efficient and resilient places, alongside transformational changes to construction processes and wider business operations.
Delivery of the hall has been made possible by a series of commitments from Berkeley, who are building a neighbourhood of 528 homes at Hareshill, including 211 affordable homes. They have pledged £10.7 million in contributions to improving the local infrastructure through s106 payments, as well as enhanced pedestrian and cycle connections.
Councillor Alan Oliver, Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy and Development Management, said: "A benefit of the new housing in Hart is the creation of desirable new assets for the whole district to enjoy. As part of the planning agreements these can be delivered to our community, fully equipped and ready to use.
“This new community building is also a positive step towards our goal of a carbon neutral district by 2040, as our first in Hart to be delivered with a minus EPC rating.”
Paul Vallone, Divisional Chairman, Berkeley, said: "Community is at the forefront of everything we do so we’re delighted to deliver a space that can be used by residents and local people. This will be a place for everyone, whether they’re coming for a yoga class, birthday party or just a good place to gather and meet old friends. We hope it will be very popular for many years to come."
As part of the investment in the area, Berkeley will also deliver an extension to Edenbrook Country Park, children’s play areas, a community café/co-working space, a multi-use games area, and allotments which will be allocated by Hart District Council for the whole community to use.