Like all small villages trying to raise the funds to build a hall has always been the biggest issue. Debden is no exception to this challenge. Previous plans have been far too grandiose for a village of the size of Debden. We do not need a hall that is big enough to hold badminton courts, they are available in Saffron Walden. Even with the donation of a grant from the Armed Forces Community Grant Trust of £236,400 in 2015 was not enough to achieve the funding for a hall costing £800,000 at the time. Currently the Village Hall Trustees and the Parish Council favour a project costing roughly £1,2500,000. This is simply far too expensive. It is believed that less than 10% of the cost has been raised. Would this explain why the sign indicating the funds raised has been removed from the village shop?
What has the Debden Residents Community Group done to provide a new hall?
In an attempt to save the grant in 2017 current members put forward a proposal for a new hall costing £560,000. All parties involved, the VHT, Parish Council, the New Village Hall group and the Recreation Ground Trust agreed to support this proposal. You can see that agreement here. Unfortunately, a month later the chairmen of the New Village Hall Group, a none constituted group, reneged on that deal. You can see that letter here. This development was planned to open in November 2018 to commemorate the end of WW1, which would have been a fitting opening date as the original hall was built with funds provided by Lady Strathcona, whose son died in Great War, and the AFCGT.
When the AFCGT was placing pressure for the grant to be returned in 2020 due to no progress on the construction of the hall the DRCG wrote to both the Village Hall Trustees and the Parish Council offering assistance to build the proposal agreed on in 2017. You can see that letter here. The VHT declined that offer, you can read the letter here, the PC did not even reply. It would appear that the VHT have simply refused to consider any alternatives to their plans and would rather hand back the grant than do so.
Several of our members have become concerned at the struggle that the Trust is having in recruiting new Trustees. In order to prevent the trust from closing, as mentioned in the Parish Pump, we wrote to the chair offering their services. You can view that letter here. As yet we have received no reply.
“The Purkiss Plan”.
A new Village Hall directly replacing the old one and incorporating the village shop.