Why are we not building yet?

Many of you may be reading this blog and thinking - so you've got (most of) the money for phase 1, you've got a design and you've had planning permission for a while - what are you waiting for?

We have had a number of blocking issues, and a number of false dawns.  Those of you who have known about this project for some time will have heard things like "the foundations will be going in within weeks" or "just clear this last hurdle and we'll be building" several times.  This has been very frustrating for all involved, so I thought it might be useful to list some of the bigger issues and their current status.

Finance - until September 2010 we were considerably short of the money we needed to build Phase 1.  As I mentioned in a post last week, that all changed when we were found by a charitable trust who have pledged £50,000 to help us, and match funding for the next £20,000 we raise in the coming year.  So finance is not a major issue for Phase 1.  It is an issue we still need to address for Phase 2, but that is not currently preventing us from making progress.

Building Regulations Approval - this process started in the Spring of 2010 and has not yet completed, much to our frustration.  The building and site are not typical, so there have been many complications along the way.  We expect many centre users with disabilities, so meeting all disability access provisions has been a particular concern, but we believe everything is now in place for that.  Foundation design approval has been very drawn out - the approval engineers need to be sure that the building is erected on adequate foundations to avoid sinking, slippage or any other type of movement.  Again we think these concerns have now been fully addressed.  All calculations for building component loadings have been submitted and we are chasing down the final approvals.  So we *think* we have done everything required, but we don't yet have a piece of paper saying that all is approved!  We don't want to risk starting building until we have approval - we might yet get a shock in being told that some fundamental issue is wrong.

Electricity Supply - we need one for heat, light, security, lift etc.  We know there is a high voltage cable running through the site, but don't want the expense of tapping into that and transforming down to the supply we need.  There are 2 existing buildings on the site (wildlife centre and a small toilet block) and they both have electricity, so we knew there was a supply available to them.  After some investigations, we confirmed that they are supplied by a substation owned by Southern Water.  Negotiations are ongoing to get a connection from that - we need confirmation that it has sufficient capacity, that we are allowed to get a connection, that we can establish a metered supply, arrange the price we will pay for the power we use etc.  Next meeting with Southern Water is this Friday.

Water Supply - we need one of those too!  There is a supply to the wildlife centre and toilet block.  The issue now is to confirm the capacity is sufficient to supply the new building too.  We are looking at options like pumps, storage tanks etc. to mitigate the risk of insufficient capacity.  The alternative would be to bring a supply in from off the lakes site - it would be costly and time consuming to bring a new pipe in across multiple landowners' ground and a fairly long distance.  More discussions on Friday with Southern Water.

Waste Water - we need our grey water from showers etc. to be disposed of safely, as well as our waste water from the toilets.  Water recycling systems are a possible option, so long as we can get approval of the discharge site for the cleaned water.  The fallback option is a huge storage tank needing regular emptying, but the cost of purchase, installation and servicing/emptying make this not very attractive.  More discussions on Friday with Southern Water!

Weather - and now it is snowing!  Once the issues above are sufficiently resolved to start with low risk, the first building job is to lay concrete foundations.  We might want to start a day when the ground isn't frozen and under a layer of snow to do that.

This blog was initially intended to tell you about progress rather than excuses for lack of progress, so watch this space - we'll get some progress to report.
 

Building Design

So, what will this building look like?  And what will it provide?

It has been designed for consistency with the wildlife centre run by the wildlife trust up on the top of the hill.  The site is fairly sensitive, being a picturesque nature reserve, so we have taken care to blend in.  Here's an artist's my impression of what the building might look like.

The design is for a 2 storey building.  The foundation is a concrete raft supporting a timber frame, with cladding walls and slate roof.  Shuttered windows will add security, and parking spaces, including designated disabled parking, will be provided right next to the building.

There is an existing slipway for launching the sailing dinghies and safety boats, and a shingle beach for kayaks.  When Sailability join us, they will need a pontoon out into the lake to enable their members to embark in their boats pre-rigged and afloat.  This pontoon is also being designed at the moment.

Downstairs is a boat store for all our equipment, with large doors opening onto the slipway into the lake.  Male and female changing, toilets and showers are also on the ground floor, with separate facilities for disabled users, and a galley kitchen and side rooms.  Stairs or lift take you to the first floor, where there is a large main hall, side meeting rooms and further kitchen facilities.

Here are some further elevation drawings to give you some idea of what is planned.












As for the service and benefits that the Aquativity Centre will actually provide, I can do no better than quote from the project business plan:

"Despite the strong emphasis on boating as part of the lifestyle of the Southampton and Solent region, there is surprisingly no inland, non-tidal water suitable for sailing, canoeing and rowing within 10 miles of Totton.  As well as the obvious practical skills learnt from these activities, the participants gain self-confidence, self-respect, pride, leadership and teamwork skills.  These values form the central ethos of the Scouting movement and are at the heart of this project.  Delivery of the Aquativity Centre to the people of the Totton district will enable a wide cross-section of the community to participate in the drive to build a fitter, healthier Britain in the run-up to, and beyond, the Olympics and Paralympics of 2012.

The project involves designing, funding and building the Centre, followed by the operational phase of running it as both a Scout headquarters and a boating centre for the wider community.

...

There are clear benefits that will accrue from this project for the groups that use it and for the wider community in which it is based.

·       A boating facility for any young people and disabled people in an (approx) 10-15 mile radius around Totton - safe inland water facilities not otherwise available locally

·       Opportunities for anyone using the centre to grow skills in leadership, self-awareness, motivation and self-respect as well as direct boating skills and health and fitness benefits.  This applies to the young and disabled people using the centre, as well as the able-bodied adults providing leadership, instruction and coordination.  This is Scouting at its best, leading the provision of a service to the community

·       A new permanent home for the Eling Sea Scouts, with combined high quality boating and Scout building facilities. This will enable the group to more effectively offer continued challenges and opportunities within the structured framework of a Royal Navy Recognised Sea Scout Group

·       To increase the recreational use of Testwood Lake in line with the stated aims of both New Forest District Council, and the New Forest National Park draft plan"

Money Matters

Ok, so let's talk about funding.

The total building project for Aquativity is expected to cost in the region of £250,000, based on current design and costings.  This is split into two phases:

• Phase 1 is to build the shell of the building, connect to utilities, and kit out the ground floor to the point where we can start using it for boating - a boat store with changing, toilets and showers.  Phase 1 will cost approx. £150,000
• Phase 2 kits out the rest of the building so we can also use both floors for Scouting - large meeting hall, side rooms, kitchen facilities, storage.  Phase 2 will cost a further approx. £100,000

We have been busy raising money for many years and now have, in the bank, £80,000 (to a fair approximation).  This has come from a combination of sources, but primarily lots of hard work on the part of many people.

• An annual Donkey Derby run on Eling Recreation Ground - lots of fun for the local community as well as raising several thousand pounds each summer
• Bag packing by the Beavers, Cubs, Sea Scouts, Explorers and their parents and leaders, at local supermarkets, particularly in the run-up to Christmas, in return for public donations
• Litter picking at local events such as the annual Netley Marsh Steam Fair
• Auctions, fayres and Group family events
• Donations and/or match funding pledges from local businesses
• 2 significant donations from the charitable trust arm of a major local landowning estate

In addition, in September 2010, we met another charitable trust who are keen to help projects such as Aquativity.  They had a good look at everything we do today, and everything we plan to do under the Aquativity project, and have pledged a fantastic £50,000 to add to the current total for use in building Phase 1.

The thermometer to the right shows this overall funding position.

This same trust have also set us a wonderful challenge.  For every pound we raise ourselves in the year September 2010 - September 2011, they will match it, up to a maximum of £20,000.  This match funding applies to everything we raise for this project other than donations specifically for equipment purchase.  So we are busy raising money.  The chart below shows how we are getting on, and how much more we need to do.  The next big event for us is Bag Packing at a local supermarket on 4 December.  We'd love to reach a total of £5,000 by the end of the year - with a good day on 4 December, we have every chance of meeting that target.  I'll post an update after the event with the results.

If we can achieve this £20,000 target, our overall funding will go up to £170,000.  Phase 1 is then sorted from a financial perspective!  We're looking now at grants and donations for Phase 2 - ideas and contacts (and donations) very welcome.

As the money builds, I'll keep charts like these updated - I'll probably move them out of individual posts and out onto the blog homepage so they are always visible, reminding you we need money!

Of course, getting the building up is only one part of the funding challenge.  We need to raise ongoing income to pay for maintenance and services - I'll post more about that another day.  And we need equipment - dinghies, kayaks, canoes etc.  We've been doing plenty on that front too.  The Sea Scouts had a sponsored boating day at the end of the summer and raised approximately enough to buy 2 kayaks.  A local charitable organisation visited us at the lakes in the summer and were impressed enough to buy us another 2 kayaks - the details of that purchase are going through right now.  And we are applying for other grants and working with other organisations to buy and maintain sufficient equipment to run a full boating programme starting in 2011.

First Post - The project to date

Welcome to the Aquativity blog, also known as The Road to Aquativity.

Future posts will be, as you might expect, updates on what is happening day to day on the project.  But many of you might know little or nothing about Aquativity, so it might be worth using this first post for a potted history of the project so far...

4th New Forest North (Eling) Sea Scouts is one of 101 Royal Navy Recognised Sea Scout Groups in the UK.  It has been running for just over 50 years as a Sea Scout Group, based in various locations around Eling and Totton, which lie between the New Forest to the West and Southampton to the East.  We are currently based to the South of Totton, backing onto the Lower Test Nature Reserve at the head of Southampton Water.  Our hut is getting rather old, and despite a recent makeover by a Community Service team, is really on its last legs.  As an active Sea Scout Group, we also spend a lot of time sailing, rafting, kayaking and rowing.  While Southampton Water and its tributaries are very local, they are not ideal for absolute beginners to boating.  So a few years ago we started to look for a new home.

...and we found one at Testwood Lakes, a beautiful nature reserve at the site of some gravel pits to the North of Totton.  As well as providing a haven for wildlife, Southern Water and New Forest District Council wanted to see the site used for recreational boating, but in a controlled way.  So they wanted an organisation to build and manage a facility there, specifically for local youth groups and disabled people's groups to gain access to boating.

Put the last 2 paragraphs together and you get a match.  Aquativity was born as a project run by the Sea Scouts, to provide the Sea Scouts with a new headquarters for land-based and water-based activities, and to provide the community with an accessible boating facility.  We've been running our boating there for the last couple of years now, but no headquarters yet.  Our boat store is currently a tightly packed shipping container, and our changing rooms are 2 pop-up tents with lighting run on a portable generator!

Our 'Boat Store' on the land where the building will go

We've now designed a 2-storey building to go on the shore of the lake, got full planning permission for it, and we are in the process of completing this design to the satisfaction of the building inspectors so we can start building.

Just a few of the issues you should expect to see updates on in this blog are:

• Finance - putting up a building and running it costs money!  We have some, but need more
• Building design - what do we have planned, and how will it be used by different groups
• Planning conditions discharge - we have a set of conditions to meet and discharge with NFDC Planning Control
• Building regulations approval - we can't build without it - working with NFDC Building Control
• Utilities connections - we need electricity, clean water, and somewhere to put our waste water
• Building contractors and materials - we need someone to actually put up the building
• Building status - how are we getting on and what does it look like
• Boating equipment - what do we have, and what do we need
• Instructors and training - who leads the boating sessions and how do they get qualified
• Donations of cash, materials, services and equipments - we have some fantastic benefactors, so we'll let you know when they come along and help us
• Operations planning - who will use Aquativity, and how do we make arrangements for them
• Sailability - the disabled sailing arm of RYA, who want a club at Aquativity and have particular needs we are working with them to meet
• Sea Scouts - what are we doing apart from the Aquativity project
• Boating highlights - events and activities at the lakes and beyond
• Testwood Lakes Management Forum - our partners on the site, who each have their own concerns
• ...and lots more

It's a busy project, run by a busy, thriving group.  Lots to do and lots to tell you about.  Please keep visiting to see what is going on - we'll try to keep you informed on progress, and try not to bore you with all the frustrations we are going through on the way.  And if you have ideas for the project or the way we are recording it, please post your comments.  If you want to offer some help or support, email us.