Local Facilities and Community Energy

1. Tasley Parish has several local community facilities which are well used and highly valued by residents and stakeholders.

2. Tasley Village Hall was originally built in 1926 by the Acton Estate so that the inhabitants of the Parish of Tasley could have a hall for their ‘physical and mental recreation’. It was formally leased to two Tasley men in 1937 to be held in trust for the community at a peppercorn rent of 1 shilling per year. A later document of Conveyance from 1945 shows that the building and land on which it is built was sold to the Lessees (the Tasley Rector Mr EA Toulouse and a Tasley farmer Mr J Jones) for £1, subject to the same usage conditions as specified in the original lease.
   The Deeds specify the purpose of the hall should be for “the physical and mental recreation and social moral and intellectual development through the medium of reading and recreation rooms, library lectures, classes, recreations and entertainments for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish of Tasley and its immediate vicinity without distinction of sex or political or religious or other opinions”.
   The Deeds also specify how to appoint a Managing Committee and how they should go about running the hall, including the occurrence of an Annual General Meeting.
   The Deeds are thus a combination of a Lease/Purchase and Governing Instrument.
   
   

3. The hall was registered with the Land Registry in 2023 in the names of four of the present trustees but is now in the process of being transferred to the Charity Commission Official Custodian (so that the names of the trustees do not have to be updated each time they change).                 

4. Tasley Village Hall is looked after by a Management Committee and has been well maintained over the years. The walls of the main hall were insulated and dry-lined in 2009 and a toilet suitable for the disabled was added in 2011. Most recently, in 2024, the ceiling of the main hall has been insulated and repainted and the old fluorescent lighting has been replaced with LED lighting, both refurbishments aiming to reduce energy use.

5. TNP provides an opportunity to set out a supportive planning framework for investment and improvements in local community facilities over the plan period.

6. The original churchyard adjacent to the church of St Peter & St Paul was closed in 2021 as it was full and could not accommodate new burials. It is now only used for burials or the internment of cremated remains of family members in existing graves.  Shropshire Council is responsible for the maintenance of this site.  

7. There is a new additional churchyard and cemetery opposite the church gate on the other side of Church Lane, known as the New Churchyard.  This cemetery is consecrated ground and is owned by the church.   The field between the new cemetery and the main entrance to the woods was part of the gift to the church when they were given the land for the new cemetery. That field is sown with wildflower seeds and is just cut once a year just now but the idea was that it could also be used for a cemetery in the future. So Tasley may have enough cemetery space for quite some years.

8. When the new Tasley Gateway development is built, and should the proposed Tasley Garden Village go ahead, there is likely to be increased local demand for cemetery provision including within the Parish of Tasley and in Bridgnorth Town Cemetery, which is estimated to have around 50 years’ capacity. 

9. The Parish Council will work with landowners and local churches to bring forward suitable sites for new burial grounds to increase local capacity.  Further work will be required to consider feasibility and to identify funding sources to support the acquisition of sites.

10. NPPF para 98 advises that 

‘to provide the social, recreational and cultural facilities and services the community needs, planning policies and decisions should: a) plan positively for the provision and use of shared spaces, community facilities (such as local shops, meeting places, sports venues, open space, cultural buildings, public houses and places of worship) and other local services to enhance the sustainability of communities and residential environments.’

11. SLP Policy SP6. Health and Wellbeing sets out that 

‘new development should ensure the health and well-being of individuals, communities and places. This will be achieved by ensuring the quality of life and delivery of community well-being, through the use of land; type of development; the safeguarding, maintenance and improvement of community facilities and services…’

12. Tasley Village Hall (also known as Tasley Parish Room) was built in 1926 as a memorial for those killed in World War I.  Tasley Village Hall has served the existing community and is in regular use for meetings, classes and group events such as the local Parkinsons support group, baby sensory meetings, art classes, Parish Council meetings, Flicks in the Sticks and private functions. 

13. The main hall is 10 by 5 metres (32 by 16 feet) and is equipped with chairs and tables (i.e. card tables and folding tables) suitable for seating groups 4/6/8 people, can host events up to a total of 60 people and has a license for live or recorded music. The hall does not have a license for the sale of alcohol.  There is a small kitchen.  Toilet facilities (including a toilet suitable for the disabled) are available. A baby changing table is also available.  There is a limited area for car parking (maximum 6 cars).

14. The size and facilities offered within the existing village hall will not meet the needs of the growing community associated with the proposed new residential developments.  To encourage community cohesion and connection a community centre is vital when offering space and facilities for residents to develop group activities and the opportunity to connect with each other.  The facility must also respond to a range of age groups.

15. SLP Site Allocation Tasley Garden Village, Bridgnorth (BRD030) sets out 

‘the village centre will comprise of an appropriate range of retail and community uses including a community centre to serve the new community. The retail offer will complement and not negatively impact on the viability of the town centre. Provision of retail and community facilities will be linked to the provision of the first phase of residential development.’

16. To help ensure the changing needs of the local community are met the proposal is to retain the existing Village Hall as a temporary measure, in response to the additional demands made by the residential development at Tasley Gateway.  Then when the residential development of Tasley Garden Village is completed a larger community centre would be required to respond to the increased population within the community. 

17. TNP Policy TNP6 sets out a flexible approach to support both short and medium to long term improvements in community hall provision in Tasley Parish. 

18. NPPF para 161 notes that the planning system should support the transition to a low carbon future in a changing climate.  Para 168 b) local planning authorities ‘should recognise that small-scale and community-led projects provide a valuable contribution to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.’

19. SLP Policy SP3. Climate Change sets out that 

‘development in Shropshire will support the transition to a zero-carbon economy in accordance with the policies of the Local Plan by: (amongst other things) d. Supporting the development of community energy generation and distribution schemes, where they meet the policy requirements of the Local Plan and any relevant national policy.’

20. The responses to the community survey  showed that there was interest in promoting renewable energy schemes including solar panels, air and ground source heat pumps, and to a lesser extent wind turbines – see Figure 5. 

21. Small scale community led renewable energy schemes can help to improve security of energy supply and often provide an income stream to support other community projects. Community energy projects have an emphasis on local engagement, local leadership and control and the local community benefiting collectively from the outcomes by owning the energy generating project.   Low or zero carbon technologies include solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, wind turbines or hydroelectric generation.

22. TNP Policy TNP7 - Community Energy Schemes supports future suitable community led low carbon energy schemes, subject to avoiding adverse impacts on local landscape character.