Lower St.David's Community Facility

Mobile Classroom (The Kabin) for Community Use – Approx 7M x 3M (22ft x 10ft) - A resident has requested LSDCA to explore the possibility of a Mobile Classroom as a community facility to provide somewhere for year round indoor activities and storage for play equipment for use in the park. The Kabin would enable events to be organised throughout the Winter months.

As a result of this request we have been engaged in consultation with Cornerstone Housing, owners of social housing within our community, and they have generously offered the free use of a small piece of land that they own in Looe Road on which to site this unit, subject to further discussions. This small plot of land is currently little more than a dog's toilet and frequently used for fly-tipping. Cornerstone has also agreed to consider the possibility of including insurance cover for the Kabin within their existing arrangements.
Western Power have provided a quotation for the electricity supply.
We have also met on-site with the Crime Prevention Officer for input and their comments have been noted.
A water supply has been excluded at this stage because it is thought that the ‘ongoing’ costs cannot be justified. This decision will be open to review in the future if this project goes ahead.
Various sources of funding are being/will be explored. There is a strong possibility of Section 106 money being available to part fund this community amenity. (Section 106 funding is a financial contribution, towards local amenities, provided by a developer. In this instance, the developers of the Apollo site in Looe Road).
Preparation of suitable concrete base for the Kabin will be sought free of charge from various construction companies, Rok, Cowlin Construction etc. Alternatively, provision of materials FOC from builders’ merchants, to allow the community themselves to prepare the base, will be explored.

A community survey, carried out by LSDCA, resulted in 99% positive support for this project. The 1% that disagreed expressed concerns regarding the loss of parking spaces and the possibility of excessive noise during the evenings. A meeting with Cornerstone has confirmed that the Kabin can be installed with minimal (or probably zero) reduction in parking. Also, LSDCA will implement controls/use of the Kabin during any evening events to ensure that it has minimal/no impact on the nearby residents.


Possible uses of Mobile Classroom Include –
Childrens Toy/Book Library
Model-making
Storytelling
Film shows
Meetings
Art and Craft Workshops
Gardening Club
Environmental issues
Nature/Woodland WorkshopsBirthday Parties .
Basically, anything the community wants, within reason, we will try to organise it.

All a very worthy proposal, you may think. Unfortunately, the Planning Department disagree on the basis that it would have a 'detrimental impact on the street scene'. Mmm...I see, dogs toilet and rubbish tip replaced by a 'soft landscaped' community facility. No contest really!