South Park Pavilion – A New Building for Macclesfield
South Park Pavilion – A New Building for Macclesfield
South Park is the largest park in Macclesfield. It celebrated its centenary in 2022 after it was gifted to the people of Macclesfield by local Alderman William Frost. It has been a vital green space for residents ever since The Park is a true asset for our town, and one that we have an opportunity to improve for our residents, our community and to attract visitors from near and far. Local residents have campaigned for a pavilion building in South Park for the past 20 years. Several in-depth consultations have been carried out with the community group SPARK (The Friends of South Park Group) and the Town Council as well as a recent round of face- to-face consultations held in August 2022.
South Park Pavilion Public Consultation August 2022
The concept for the new pavilion goes beyond just serving great coffee and delicious food in a cafe; it’s about fostering community and offering versatile spaces for various needs. Our café will pride itself on sourcing high-quality, locally produced ingredients whenever possible, ensuring both freshness and support for local businesses. Beyond being a cozy spot for a quick bite or a leisurely meal, we will offer long-term room hire options ideal for learning institutions, community groups, or exercise classes. These spaces will provide a welcoming environment for
Full Council 25 03 24 Agenda Item 10
educational workshops, group meetings, or fitness sessions. Additionally, we will cater to a range of celebrations by offering event hire services for occasions like birthdays, weddings, or christenings. But the experience doesn’t end there; we will also curate our own events, such as live music performances and trivia nights, working with local event providers, to further enrich the community spirit. With a commitment to quality, community, and versatility, our pavilion aims to be more than just a place to eat—it’s a hub where connections are made.
The income will be made up from the café, room hire and the running of events.
In addition to these services, the Council is dedicated to enhancing the overall experience of our park by providing essential amenities. We understand the importance of comfort and accessibility, which is why we offer clean and well-maintained toilets for visitors’ convenience. Furthermore, we are proud to include a fully accessible Changing Places toilet, ensuring that individuals with disabilities have equal access to facilities and this is in addition to the accessible play equipment in the park supplied by the Town Council. By prioritising inclusivity and accessibility, we aim to create a welcoming environment where everyone can enjoy the park and its offerings without barriers. Our commitment extends beyond serving delicious food and hosting events; it encompasses creating an inclusive space where all members of the community feel valued and respected.
Current situation
The current pavilion is deemed not fit for purpose and in part condemned (the upstairs) due to its lack of accessibility to the first floor and its poor state of repair. The ground floor layout is not flexible for multiple user groups and the building’s construction method means the building is reaching the end of its lifespan and cannot be modernised. The lack of a pavilion for a park of this scale fails to meet the needs of visitors to the park and also fails to provide opportunity for the park to be of greater value to the community and engage with park users.
The current building
Current issues are:
- Very limited toilet facilities and no accessible toilets
- Limited food/ beverage offerings
- No communal rest areas
- No indoor community space for activities
- No facility to loan sports equipment to enjoy the park
- An unsightly disused building which detracts from the beauty of the
park and is prone to vandalism - Anti-social behaviour as a direct result of the building’s disuse
Solution and design
In short, to provide a new pavilion building in the park. Macclesfield Town Council are asset transferring the building from the local authority and want to demolish it and build a fully accessible and environmentally friendly building, available and open to all the community. A building that meets the needs, expectations and ambitions of the community, the park services as well as encouraging visitors to the park. Through project forming and evaluation, a building that is flexible and sustainable and that can provide for the community well into the future.
In early 2022, Bower Mattin and Young were hired as architects and were tasked with creating different designs to take to the public for consultation so in August 2022, we held 4 public consultations, in the park and in the town centre. Over 750 detailed written responses were received. Our residents wish us to proceed with the project and identified two of the five designs that were presented to them. We have merged these two to provide a two storey building with a number of the design features that were most valued.
The chosen design
- The proposed scheme is for a two storey, environmentally sensitive pavilion designed to provide a wide range of flexible spaces suitable for family gatherings, fitness, dance and regular cultural events.
- The ground floor consists of a large café area with chill out spaces housing local art exhibits and magazines. It will lead to a canopied outdoor terrace with seating overlooking the bandstand.
- There are also two large multi-purpose rooms which can provide a space for people to gather. The first floor overlooks the park and tennis courts. It will provide an event space for exhibitions, music, comedy nights and large family celebrations of up to 100 people. The building will provide an information point for future events in the park and local area, together with a first aid post including a defibrillator.
- There will be a Changing Places toilet with baby changing for all park users.
- It is intended that the new building will reuse the existing pavilion slab and foundations. It will be super insulated and
incorporate a turf/sedum roof to create a high thermal mass which will also assist water attenuation. - Passive solar gain combined with a heat recovery and recirculation ventilation system and air source heat pumps will be
at the core of the renewable energy proposals. - Local stone and timber will be used in construction which will feature green walls as a part of the target to control the carbon
footprint.
The chosen design view 2
Funding
The Town Council have approximately £540,000 in reserves for the project and are looking to finance the remainder with a Public Works Loan. At the Macclesfield Town Council meeting of 11th December 2023, it was resolved to seek the approval of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government to apply for a PWLB loan of £1,250,000 over the borrowing term of 40 years for to build a new pavilion in South Park, Macclesfield. The annual loan repayments will come to around £101,700 reducing by £411.27 every 6 months. The loan repayments mean a 10% increase in the precept.
A public consultation was carried out in line with the public works loan guidelines and the results were as follows:
Are you in favour of the Town Council continuing ahead with building a new South Park Pavilion?
81% Yes, 19% No
Are you in favour of the Town Council going ahead with the South Park Pavilion if it includes a council tax precept increase of 10% (£5.21 per year, which is 43p per month for band D households) for the purpose of the loan repayments?
74% Yes, 26% No
Therefore at the Full Council meeting 25th March 2024, it was resolved to apply for the loan. The full report can be found here: South Park Pavilion Report For Council
As progress is made we will ass updates to this page and reports will be at Full Council Meetings.
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