Find out more about plans for Merstham Community Hub
Background
Merstham Community Hub, 2b Portland Drive, Merstham, RH1 3HY is a community space at the heart of Merstham open to all. Historically within the hub, there has been a café space, the library, YMCA pre-school and youth clubs, Merstham Community Facility Trust (MCFT) and room hire opportunities. It has also been a key space for social gathering and home to a variety of locally-led initiatives, such as a weekly Food Bank and Food Club, community fridge and various projects, activities, events and drop-ins aimed to help the health and wellbeing of local residents.
In recent times the café space provider left, and it became apparent that certain aspects of the management of the hub and the café provision needed to be reviewed to ensure a cohesive offer. Somewhere, where everyone feels welcome and for it to be a place for the community, designed by the community and a reflection of the community's needs and wants.
With this in mind in Autumn 2023 Surrey County Council 's Community Link Officer worked in partnership, with Reigate and Banstead Borough Council's Community Development Worker and carried out a community survey to get some insights into how people were using the hub and what was important to them.
515 residents completed the survey and an infographic highlighting the findings can be accessed here .
Building on this insight a further engagement was carried out including a survey aimed at local partner organisations and an in-person co-design workshop with residents. 19 residents gave feedback on topics such as the look and feel of the hub, the vacant café space, communications and identifying any barriers for accessing and visiting the hub.
What happens next?
Café Provision
- The insights from the community survey highlighted the continued importance of a café/social space at the hub.
- Between December and August 2024 Merstham Community Facility Trust (MCFT), using funding from Surrey County Council, had been managing a temporary free tea/coffee provision whilst a long-term café solution is being explored using all the information gathered from the various engagements. We thank the MCFT for their help in providing this for the local community
- Surrey County Council are working towards opening a community café in Spring 2025. Work will be carried out on the kitchen area to ensure it meets the standards required for a community catering provision and a decision will made on the most appropriate long-term café provider for this space. In the meantime we are working with local partners to provide a Warm Welcome offer in the hub over the winter. Surrey's Warm Welcomes network launch on 1 November 2024.
Wider hub provision
- We will be working with existing tenants, partners and the local community to shape a shared vision for the hub. In particular how best to manage the facility jointly and to develop a shared code of conduct for the space.
- We will be looking to develop an operational model for the Hub including a review of a reception function, improvements to security, opening and locking up of the site to enable wider service provision and other day to day operational activities.
- We will be considering how to maximise some of the underutilised spaces within the hub. A space planning exercise will be scoping out what potential options might be.
