A CHARITY in St Werburgh’s is planning to sell some land for housing to fund improvements to its building.
Children’s Scrapstore is working with an architect and design consultant on proposals for 12 two-bed townhouses.
It intends to submit a planning application for six homes on each of two sites, the main car park to the east, and an area next to the Ivy Pentecostal Church to the west.
It says the development will only be on part of each car park, so there will still be room for visitors to park.
Details of the scheme are on the charity’s website and a drop-in session will be held on Wednesday 27 November from 2- 6pm for anyone who has questions.
Children’s Scrapstore moved to its current home more than 20 years ago, inhabiting a historic building that has served the area since the 19th century.
It says: “Despite significant efforts to maintain the building, it has been more than two decades since any major refurbishment has been undertaken. The wear and tear is becoming increasingly costly for the charity.
“The charity is facing escalating maintenance costs, from leaking roofs to windows and vintage lifts, requiring ongoing investments of tens of thousands of pounds each year.
“The building’s energy inefficiency also means increased monthly costs to heat in the winter and to keep cool in the summer.
“Equally as the charity’s services, facilities and provision has grown, expansion has been constrained by the building’s layout, limiting how effectively the space can be used.
“With the charity now owning the building outright, there is a unique opportunity to sell some undeveloped, brownfield land on the site, which will fund essential renovations to create an improved and future-proofed space for members, tenants, staff and the visiting public.”
Once planning permission is granted, the charity will look to sell the two sites to a property developer so the income from the sales can be reinvested in the main building to enable the much-needed renovations and protect the long-term future of the building.
The charity says it considered moving to a new location but did not want to sacrifice the “unique benefits” of being at the heart of a vibrant community on a site that offers the a large warehouse with vehicular access and parking as well as the shop and playroom which are central to its work.
“Moving to a new location would mean sacrificing this rare combination of community integration and operational capacity.
By investing in the refurbishment of the existing building, Children’s Scrapstore can preserve and enhance its connection to St Werburghs and the wider city while creating a space that better serves its users now, and in the future,” the charity says.