BLANDFORD TOWN HALL AND CORN EXCHANGE

Descriptions

Blandford Forum Town Council is proposing to breathe new life into the Corn Exchange with a Planning Application now submitted, which is currently being assessed by Dorset Council. The historic community building and home of the Town Council has long been recognised as in need of repairs and updating. Important parts of the building such as the main Corn Exchange space don't perform as they should and users are put off by poor access, heating, lighting, acoustics, and a lack of back of house facilities. In addition, the first floor of the building which contains some of the most historically significant and beautiful spaces such as the Town Hall room, does not have equal access which effectively cuts them off from a whole section of the local community. More recently the building has been subject to vandalism and parts of the roof coverings have started to fail leading to instances of water ingress. The project which is the subject of the Planning and Listed Building Application will restore and revive the Grade I Listed Building and in so doing breathe new life into the historic town centre for generations to come. The work includes re-roofing the Corn Exchange, new improved access to the first floor of the Town Hall as well as associated mechanical and electrical works. Responding to community feedback, the project will provide equal access to the exquisite first floor rooms for the first time in the building's 300-year history and the project will transform the Corn Exchange into a warm, functional, flexible community venue. The Corn Exchange will be sensitively repaired to reveal the beautiful historic building that lies beneath and restore a sense of pride to the main civic building in Blandford. The project will re-model the lobby area to provide new WCs including an accessible WC and provide a light, airy stairwell that welcomes people into the building. The Project Team includes: •Contract Administrator, Principal Designer and Structural Engineer - The Morton Partnership Ltd. •Architect - Malcolm Simmonds Architects. •Services - Qoda Consulting. •Quantity Surveyor - Ian Walker Associates. Environmental improvements are at the heart of the scheme which will incorporate PV cells where it can as well as upgrading insulation and thermal performance throughout. The scheme hopes to give the Corn Exchange a new lease of life for the next 100 years. The project value is assumed to be between £2,500,00 to £3,500,000 excluding VAT. The intention is to appoint a contractor at the end December 2023, with a mobilisation period in January 2024, and commencement of the works on site in February 2024. The deadline for submitting a completed Standard Selection Questionnaire (attached as part of this notice) is 5pm on Thursday 31st August 2023.