Charnwood House open days a success – still time to have your say

PR Date: Wednesday, 8 September 2021 - 4:00pm

North Herts Council would like to say a big thank you to all those who attended the Charnwood House open days on the 3 and 4 September. Local residents had the opportunity to take a tour of Charnwood House, located next to Hitchin Library, and give their views on transforming this cherished building into a community hub.

The event was well attended, with over 200 visitors, and was a great opportunity to engage with organisations and individuals about the future of this landmark building and to start to shape plans for its renovation.

We are currently in phase one of the regeneration project which involves gathering suggestions and input from the community. On the 1 November we intend to move to phase two, where we aim to meet with the community to refine potential options and help decide what best supports the goal of establishing a community hub at Charnwood House.

We will also be examining if it is at all possible to bring any part of the building back into public use before a longer term refurbishment.

Cllr Ian Albert, North Herts Council’s Executive Member for Finance and Chair of North Herts Council’s Hitchin Committee said: "I would like to thank all those who attended the Charnwood House open days; it was great to see so many people engaged with improving their local area.

It was a great opportunity to explore the possibilities for the space and ensure we create a facility that we can give back to the community for years to come. I look forward to continuing to hear from local residents. All feedback and suggestions will be taken on board - this really is an opportunity for residents to help mould the future of Charnwood House.

I would like also to thank members of the Charnwood Community Management Association who have been campaigning for the building to be used as a community hub for Hitchin”

If you were unable to attend the event it is still possible to have your say by completing our questionnaire to give your views on the future of Charnwood House. The questionnaire can be downloaded below. Please email your responses to estates@north-herts.gov.uk or post your response to Estates, Council Offices, Gernon Road, Letchworth Garden City SG6 3JF. Please send in your responses to the questionnaire so they reach us no later than Monday 20th September 2021.

We look forward to discussing initial findings from the event and questionnaire responses at Hitchin Committee on 12 October, 7.30pm – please refer to North Herts Council’s website for further details. 

For further information or to discuss the project, please email estates@north-herts.gov.uk or call 01462 474 377.

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