Penicuik Community Development Trust

Letters and other documents (2005-06)

The first action of the Initial Steering Group of the Trust was to write a Letter on February 26th 2005 to all local Councillors and to the Community Council. This was in response to the announcement that Council Services were to be withdrawn from Penicuik Town Hall and the building was to be closed. It identified a Development Trust as one way of helping overcome the Council's financial crisis. The letter also reported that a public meeting was to be called.

The Council response was to issue a Press Release on March 8th 2005 that identified running costs and the expense of making the Town Hall comply with the Disability Act as a reason for the withdrawal of services.

The Trust then sought to enter Penicuik Town Hall in the £250,000 WREN Village and Community Hall Refurbishment competition. This sum would fund all the modifications necessary for disability access, as well help the building comply with fire regulations and carry out some long overdue maintenance. Richard Atkins, a architect specialising in refurbishing heritage building, surveyed the building on our behalf and produced a Survey Report describing the proposed work and costs for submission to WREN.

As the competition deadline approached, we sent several letters and emails to the Midlothian Council Chief Executive and to councillors. They continued to refuse to discuss any of our proposals on the grounds that Penicuik Town Hall was the subject of a Midlothian-wide Asset Management Review and we saw this chance of gaining £1/4M to improve the Town Hall slipping away. So, eventually, we gained WREN's approval for Midlothian Council to make the application themselves, acting then on behalf of the community. Following a Letter of July 22nd 2005 to Councillor Montgomery and a personal meeting with him, he eventually agreed to accept responsibility for Midlothian Council submitting the application.

We met the Director of Community Services, Mr Galbraith, and handed over our version of the completed WREN Competition Application Form. We noted that, should the application fail, the Town Hall would be put back into the Asset Review. However, while success remained a possibility, Mr Galbraith agreed to give the commitments necessary to comply with the WREN competition: the Council would guarantee the long-term future of Penicuik Town Hall as a community building.

The application succeeded in reaching the second round of the competition but, two weeks before the Council were to make their presentation to WREN for the next stage, they changed their stance: not only was their case weakened by rejecting any community involvement but Mr Galbraith's letter of October 21st 2005 now reported that the Town Hall had been put back into the Asset Review. This effectively disqualified it from the competition and, on December 20th 2005, we were notified that the application had been unsuccessful.

The Asset Review is continuing to delay or lose us Town Hall improvements. The Trust has plans that would let more people know what facilities the Town Hall has to offer and make it easier to book them. Our Letter of February 6th 2006 sought a meeting with Mr Galbraith to discuss these proposals but his Response was to decline to meet us or talk about them at this time, again justified by the Asset Review.

Our Letter of February 5th 2006 noted the Trust's interest in all community facilities in Penicuik, not just the Town Hall, and we asked the Chief Executive to tell us when the public consultation phase of the Asset Review will begin. His acknowledgement did not do so.


News - Events The Trust - Aims - Our story so far - Office bearers - Oral History - Links - Users - Records Penicuik - Cowan Institute - Buildings - History - People - Pentland Hills Feedback - Contacts - Guestbook		Letters and other documents (2005-06) The first action of the Initial Steering Group of the Trust was to write a Letter on February 26th 2005 to all local Councillors and to the Community Council. This was in response to the announcement that Council Services were to be withdrawn from Penicuik Town Hall and the building was to be closed. It identified a Development Trust as one way of helping overcome the Council's financial crisis. The letter also reported that a public meeting was to be called. The Council response was to issue a Press Release on March 8th 2005 that identified running costs and the expense of making the Town Hall comply with the Disability Act as a reason for the withdrawal of services. The Trust then sought to enter Penicuik Town Hall in the £250,000 WREN Village and Community Hall Refurbishment competition. This sum would fund all the modifications necessary for disability access, as well help the building comply with fire regulations and carry out some long overdue maintenance. Richard Atkins, a architect specialising in refurbishing heritage building, surveyed the building on our behalf and produced a Survey Report describing the proposed work and costs for submission to WREN. As the competition deadline approached, we sent several letters and emails to the Midlothian Council Chief Executive and to councillors. They continued to refuse to discuss any of our proposals on the grounds that Penicuik Town Hall was the subject of a Midlothian-wide Asset Management Review and we saw this chance of gaining £1/4M to improve the Town Hall slipping away. So, eventually, we gained WREN's approval for Midlothian Council to make the application themselves, acting then on behalf of the community. Following a Letter of July 22nd 2005 to Councillor Montgomery and a personal meeting with him, he eventually agreed to accept responsibility for Midlothian Council submitting the application. We met the Director of Community Services, Mr Galbraith, and handed over our version of the completed WREN Competition Application Form. We noted that, should the application fail, the Town Hall would be put back into the Asset Review. However, while success remained a possibility, Mr Galbraith agreed to give the commitments necessary to comply with the WREN competition: the Council would guarantee the long-term future of Penicuik Town Hall as a community building. The application succeeded in reaching the second round of the competition but, two weeks before the Council were to make their presentation to WREN for the next stage, they changed their stance: not only was their case weakened by rejecting any community involvement but Mr Galbraith's letter of October 21st 2005 now reported that the Town Hall had been put back into the Asset Review. This effectively disqualified it from the competition and, on December 20th 2005, we were notified that the application had been unsuccessful. The Asset Review is continuing to delay or lose us Town Hall improvements. The Trust has plans that would let more people know what facilities the Town Hall has to offer and make it easier to book them. Our Letter of February 6th 2006 sought a meeting with Mr Galbraith to discuss these proposals but his Response was to decline to meet us or talk about them at this time, again justified by the Asset Review. Our Letter of February 5th 2006 noted the Trust's interest in all community facilities in Penicuik, not just the Town Hall, and we asked the Chief Executive to tell us when the public consultation phase of the Asset Review will begin. His acknowledgement did not do so.

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