Alongside its wider activities, over the past few years the Totnes Community Development Society has been developing detailed plans for redevelopment and refurbishment of a range of buildings, including the Mansion in the centre of Totnes and the Brunel Building as part of the Atmos Totnes site next to the railway.
If you would like to talk to staff and Directors of Totnes Community Development Society about the work it does, and see the plans for the Mansion and the Brunel Building, then we will be running two open house events on the times/dates below. Further dates will be provided across the summer.
Meet Directors/see the plans:
12noon – 2pm on Saturday 15th June 2019 at the Elmhirst site, adjacent to the AstroTurf opposite KEVICC.
10am – 4pm on Tuesday 25th June 2019 in the Mansion, School Hall, opposite the library in the Mansion.
The Mansion
The Mansion is a grade 2 Listed Building in the Centre of Totnes with a charitable object focused on education and social welfare. Totnes Community Development Society took over the Mansion from Devon County Council on 1st January 2017. Since then urgent remedial work has been undertaken across the site and systems and processes have been put into place to enable over 100 local groups a year to access the space as well as the public services provided within it.
Alongside this work, the Society has undertaken extensive audit and survey work to establish the extent and focus of the refurbishment and redevelopment needs for the site and its long term maintenance. The plans in place are designed in response to the needs presented by the community in the last two and half years since the Society started managing the site.
The works planned will enable local people of Totnes to continue to increasingly use the building into the future, and to sustain the building physically and financially. They include renewal of heating and ventilation across the site, powered by renewable energy where possible, new toilet facilities, a central lobby/café/information space and new external space.
You can see floor-plans for the redevelopment of the Mansion on the time/dates above. There will also be a mini-exhibition in the foyer of the Mansion from Monday 17th June.
Information about hire and rental space is available at www.totnescommunity.org.uk
The Brunel Building
The Brunel Building is the Listed Building on the former Dairy Crest site. Planning Permission is in place for Atmos Totnes through the Made Community Right to Build Order. The plans for Brunel Building bring to life the scheme that the community voted for as part of the Order process.
Over 4000 people contributed to the design of the Atmos Totnes site, including providing the brief for the Brunel Building. The building designs facilitate multiple uses including as an events venue, concert space, indoor market areas, restaurant, café and workshop space. Since 2017 the Society has been using a grant from Heritage Lottery Enterprise Fund to develop the detailed materials ready for construction.
You can see detailed plans and visualisations produced in the last 18 months on the times/dates above.
The Elmhirst Building
Volunteers, trainees and the Society’s local contractors have been repairing the Elmhirst site to meet the vision of Golden Iris – a group of young volunteers working on behalf of the community in Totnes. You can join the volunteer team and help with the gardening, painting and general maintenance of the community space by getting in touch info@totnescommunity.org.uk or visit the building on one of the workdays (including the date above).
Information about using the space at Elmhirst is available at www.totnescommunity.org.uk
Information about the Elmhirst site will be available, as well as your chance to speak to Society Directors about the wider work of the Society, on the date/times above.
Totnes Community Development Society works to bring spaces into community use, management and ownership, including working in partnership with other groups and organisations locally to achieve this and in support of local service provision.
Support and join in with the work of the Society as a voting member, applications forms available at www.totnescommunity.org.uk
