The WBC Future Concept Plan

Please see the sketch proposals for the replacement church scheme based loosely on your initial pencil sketches.
 
The scheme has been developed on the principle of a total church replacement with a new three storey building that moves towards the front of the site. This would improve the churches viability within Hythe Road and promote the life of the church to the surrounding area.
 
Vehicular access would be retained to the left-hand side of the site running down the side of the new church to a new parking area at the rear. This car park would also provide a link through to the overflow leased parking area behind No.270 Hythe Road. A drop off and disabled parking area has been included at the front of the church.
 
As you will see, due to the scale of accommodation requested, we have not been able to provide any garden areas at the ground level, and as such, we have moved the Nursery accommodation to the first-floor level. Our sketches are based upon an old dimensioned site plan provided by the church and the whole site would need to be surveyed before any detailed design work was begun.

All of the floors have access to a dedicated fire exit stair that discharges directly out to Hythe Road at the front of the church.
 
The combined floor area of the sketch proposed building is in the region of 1070m2 over the three levels. As a rough guide, we would believe that this type of building could cost in the region of between £2000 - £2500 / m2 and as such, as base building cost of around £2.2 - £2.7 million pounds, plus external works, consultant fees etc. We understand that you have a QS who will be able to provide you with a detailed cost plan for the whole project in due course.
 
We hope that this sketch scheme will enable the church to appreciate the type of accommodation that a new building could bring and the limitations of the site. We appreciate that the scheme may not provide all the spaces requested or the overall hall capacity required. However, we hope that it will allow the church to see what may be possible within the site limitations. Certainly, moving the church towards the front of the site could improve the churches visual presence within the Willesborough area. Moving the car park towards the rear of the site does help the frontage but does require an access road to the side that takes some site area.
 
Care would need to be taken over the elevation treatment to reduce the scale of the development within the street scene and help to break up the potential bulk of the building.
 
This proposal is obviously subject to further design development, cost appraisals, planning discussions and checking against building regulations standards.