On Monday 18th November, over 60 people attended a presentation from Toby Ebbs on the architecture and history of the Lutterell Hall in West Bridgford. Tony has produced a short YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bFv4nkBFCI which explains why it’s important to preserve this former Parish Hall building, and the beauty of its architectural details.
Toby has received a positive reply from Historic England to an outline application for Grade 2 listing which he submitted earlier this month. As both a local resident and a lecturer in Heritage and Conservation at Nottingham Trent University, Toby is an expert in the protection of historic buildings under threat of potential disposal and redevelopment. He also explained that Historic England may be able to “fast track” the Listing process given the timetable for a decision on the Hall which has been imposed by Rushcliffe Borough Council.
The meeting also listened to a heartfelt plea from Helen Coffey, the Hall’s Pre-school manager, to keep the Hall as it is, as it provides pre-school education for 95% of the children who attend the nearby West Bridgford Infants School. The Pre-school is a registered charity which has been based in Lutterell Hall for over 50 years. The Council have suggested alternative accommodation for the Pre-school at the Sir Julien Cahn Pavilion at West Park, on Loughborough Road, well beyond walking distance to the local Infants school.
Rushcliffe Borough Council is encouraging all to complete a consultation on the West Bridgford facility at this webpage https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LutterellHall2019 or in person at Rushcliffe Community Contact Centre, Rushcliffe Arena or at Lutterell Hall when using the hall, by Friday November 29 before options are assessed next year.