Braunstone Civic Centre - Facilities Improvements

Background to Project

The Capital Plan, updated by Council on 27th January 2022 (Council Minute 5996), includes the following items:

1. Refurbishment of both sets of Toilets, including the provision of a Changing Places Toilet. The reason is that the “refurbishment of the toilets provides an opportunity to ensure that the Civic Centre toilet facilities are fully accessible”.
2. Refurbishment of the Civic Centre Bar Kitchen and Store Facilities. The reason is “to enable the expansion of the facility to provide a café service during the day and additional lunches and meals, utilising the space more effectively and providing a wider community social space”. 

The Capital Plan identifies these as priority projects for 2022/23.

Summary of Proposals

1. Refurbish existing (Reception) toilet facilities, including the existing disabled toilet;
2. install a new Changing Places Toilet facility (in current cleaning store room);
3. installation of rainwater harvesting for the toilets;
4. refurbish staff kitchen facility;
5. relocate the existing toilet facility (adjacent to the Civic Community Lounge) and refurbish;
6. provide a new catering kitchen facility for the Civic Community Lounge (Bar/Café);
7. provide a new cleaning store facility and new storage facilities for the Ravenhurst Room (in the current Winstanley Room); and
8. installation of services, fixtures and fittings for the above.

Business Case

Braunstone Civic Centre is the main community centre in Braunstone Town and was built in 1974. The toilets have not undergone any major refurbishment since and are in need of redesign and upgrading. The facilities are public toilets that are used by residents and visitors attending the centre for both public and private functions.

Our current toilets are very old and in disrepair. Fixtures and fittings are in disrepair and need modernisation. Then cubicle partitions are damaged and broken and the water system is not designed to be supportive of climate change. The lighting and aesthetic look of all the toilets and cubicles are very poor. The disabled toilet provision is very basic and cannot cater for the needs of those visitors that need greater provision and care when they need to use the facilities.

The proposal includes the complete refurbishment of two blocks of toilets within the Centre. This will entail the redesign of the existing blocks, firstly to accommodate the new small kitchen for a Café facility in one block and secondly to accommodate the Changing Places toilet in the second block. Both sets of toilets will need to be refitted including new flooring, walls, cubicles, sinks, fixtures and fittings.

Whilst upgrading the toilets there is an opportunity to install a Changing Places toilet to allow residents who have significant support needs to attend events and functions with their carer at the Centre.

The Changing Places toilet will include a hoist and frame, toilet, changing bench, height adjustable wash basin, privacy screen, shower, grab rails and fixtures and fittings.

The current area within the bar is not suitable to provide food to catering standards. Therefore the new small kitchen area will be specifically built and include cooker, fridge freezer, units, fixtures and fittings, flooring up to catering standards. The kitchen area will be used by the bar contractor to provide lunch time and evening food in the community lounge as well as prepare food for catering and weekly food nights within the Centre.  This will allow a wider catering option for residents and visitors, encourage new hirers and visitors to use the centre.

By undertaking this project, the Council will be completely refurbishing and modernising four sets of toilets (2 male and 2 female blocks), improving the quality, provision, lighting and general appearance for hirers and visitors.  An advanced toilet facility will be provided for those with severe disabilities and caring needs. The new kitchen will provide the opportunity for our bar facility to be utilised all day every day as a community meeting place for all offering hot food, catering and events for the community to enjoy.

Proposals

The proposal takes out of use the Winstanley Room, which is converted into a furniture storage area for the Ravenhurst Room, a Cleaning Store Room and a toilet facility.   The total income for the Winstanley Room between 1st April 2019 and 31st March 2020 was £2,617.66 from 379 bookings.   Most of these bookings were Counselling sessions, which could be accommodated in the Interview Room and also in the long term in the Small Meeting Room and Fosse Room.

The neighbouring ladies toilet is retained as a toilet facility.  The existing men’s toilet is converted into a kitchen facility to service the neighbouring Bar/Café lounge. Existing windows to the Winstanley Room will need to be blacked out and existing windows to the toilets will need to be reorganised and modified.  

The provision of a Cleaning Cupboard in the Winstanley Room enables the Cleaning Store Room and General Store Room at the back of the stage to be utilised for providing a Changing Places Toilet, meaning that the building doesn’t need to be changed to accommodate the facility.  Therefore, the Reception toilets can simply be refurbished without any need to knock down existing walls, build new walls or relocate the hot water tank.  Additional storage cupboards are provided by accessing the void under the stage from the rear.

• Proposed Floor Plan.

Full plans and schedules are available on our dedicated Tender page

Progress

On 24^th March 2022, the Town Council received the news that it had been  successful in obtaining central government grant funding of £17,676 towards the cost of providing a Changing Places Toilet.

On 25th March 2022, tenders were invited from suitably experienced contractors to carry out refurbishment and improvement works at Braunstone Civic Centre, as set out above.

More details on our dedicated Tender page.

The deadline for receipt of tenders was Thursday 5th May 2022 and four tenders were received.

On 16th June 2022, Policy & Resources Committee considered options for progressing the project and its financing, the tenders received and appointment of a preferred contractor (minute 19).

The Policy & Resources Committee agreed:

1. provisionally to borrow the money to finance and progress the project;
2. to provisionally accept the tender submitted by Contractor D, at £181,973.00 to undertake the refurbishment works;
3. for officers to liaise with the architect and surveyor, along with the selected contractor to determine whether there would be options to deliver part of the proposed scheme, and determine the detailed arrangements, timings, and work schedules.

Finance

A pre-application for grant funding from the SUEZ Communities Trust has been approved, which previously awarded a grant towards the cost of the Millfield Hall new roof. 

Following receipt of the tenders, the application to the SUEZ Communities Trust for £50,000, has been moved to the next stage.  A decision will not be made until 30th November 2022.

This leaves a funding shortfall of £114,297.  At a full meeting of the Council on 6th October 2022 it was agreed by Councillors that the Council should submit an application to borrow the £114,297 in order to deliver the project.   The Council has a couple of loans which mature in 2022, the repayments of £13,486 per annum will be saved from the 2023/24 financial year, when the first repayments would be made.  In October 2022, repayment of the £114,297 over 15 years based on an interest rate of 5.55% is £11,090.86 per annum.  The Council updated the financial plan to cover the repayments rather than reinvesting the £13,486 into capital projects and replenishing the reserves. However, the Council would be able to reallocate the £60,000 earmarked in the reserves to other projects.  A copy of the report to Council and the minutes is available on our Agendas and Minutes pages.

Project Timescales

Further Details and Comments

Further details can be obtained and comments made by contacting the Officer of the Chief Executive & Town Clerk on 0116 289 9270 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.