Community Hub

Brookside Church dated circa 1980’s is located within a residential setting with expansive parking to the front which it shares with a general practitioner doctors’ surgery. The church committee approached us to develop the site with a single-storey front, side, and rear extension.

This development would afford the church with the opportunity to enhance its ancillary facilities by creating two independent function rooms all under one roof together with support space for staff and increase toilet capacity. The function rooms would be used throughout the week for activities, groups and courses for both church members and the local community, including pre-school children and parents, primary and secondary age children, and adults of all ages.

Pre-application advice was sought from Wokingham Borough Council with the principle of development of community facilities and the impact on the character of the area considered.

It was paramount to the success of the build that the proposal did not have a harmful effect to the residence. Activities within the function rooms had the potential to generate significant noise. This was mitigated in both noise and light pollution by way of an acoustic assessment with reference to the requirement for doors and windows to be opened and restrictions proposed for the hours of use.

Collaborating with the congregation and committee members we presented design presentations to promote the scheme and to seek feedback and support as funding was reliant on private donations.

The extension has transformed the purpose of the building. The key objective to create diversification through flexible design has been met. Church services continue but coffee mornings and children’s parties add a welcomed open-door policy in keeping with community spirit. The life of this building has been extended from one day a week to seven.