Kingshill Baptist Church

Serving the communities of Little and Great Kingshill

• Windsor Lane
• Little Kingshill
• Great Missenden
• Bucks
• HP16 0DZ

Church: 01494 865770
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Cornerstone Project
Building a new church hall

(Cornerstone: the foundational part of something, on which everything depends)

 

What is the vision?

We want to build a valuable community resource for current and future generations. We want a building that is modern and flexibly designed to meet the needs of diverse groups both inside and outside the church.

 

Background

The current church hall was built in the 1960s and has served the church and community well for many years.  Sadly, it reached the point when the costs for repairs, ongoing maintenance and changes to make it more accessible became unviable and we had to consider other options. 

We set about speaking to the church and its wider community. From feedback it was clear we needed a church hall that was fit for purpose.

Building in brief:

 

From our discussions and feedback we developed the building brief. The overall feel will be one of welcome and light, with acoustics that encourage conversation. The external appearance will be in keeping with the local architecture of Little Kingshill village and our new building will have a welcoming entrance and transform the view of the church itself, further along the footpath.

 

Most important to us will be the improved accessibility in terms of toilets and level access. It will be a community building with one main space which can be partitioned to offer flexibility.  The space will be suitable for 60 people to be comfortably seated at tables (for meals) or 100 seated without (for talks, films etc). We are planning for a well equipped kitchen with ample useable storage which we believe will offer a multi-functional space for the church and the community.  

 

The whole site will be carefully landscaped, taking advantage of the setting, encouraging biodiversity and offering visitors a beautiful place to be. 

Cornerstone Project Timeline:

 

2017 – Consultation with church and our wider community

2018 – Appointment of architect and preparation of first drawings for two options:

1. A complete refurbishment and some re-modelling of the existing church hall
2. A complete new build on the ground adjacent to the existing hall

April/May 2019 – Church members’ decision to proceed with a new build

November 2019 – Planning application submitted

April 2020 – Planning permission granted by Buckinghamshire Council

April – September 2020 – pause due to COVID

October 2020 – New team established to take forward to building regulations stage