Lib Dems invest in new community hub for Sheerwater 

The new Lib Dem administration has agreed to transform the St Michael's Church in Sheerwater into a brand-new community hub.

The £1.85 million investment, approved during the first Lib Dem Executive meeting last week, will fund the refurbishment and extension of the existing church building on Dartmouth Avenue, and provide a new home for the Maybury and Sheerwater Community Trust.

The plans being discussed between St Michael's and the Council's development company, Thameswey, include the provision of a hall for hire, a one-to-one meeting space, a training room, and a café area. The new facilities will be accessible and made available to the public through a community-use agreement between the Council and the freeholder, St Michael's, who will manage the hub.

Exterior improvements include the development of a community garden, designed and match-funded by RHS Wisley, creating a high quality retreat for the purposes of wellbeing, and adding to the biodiversity of the area.

Lib Dem Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for the Sheerwater Regeneration, Councillor Will Forster, said:

"A common concern about new developments is that they rarely provide enough improvements in infrastructure to go with the new homes. This Lib Dem Council has made a commitment to deliver the planned community facilities and infrastructure investment in the early phases of the Sheerwater Regeneration."

"The £1.85 million cost of expanding and refurbishing St Michael's Church will come from the already approved Sheerwater Regeneration budget. So, despite the financial challenges this Council inherited from the previous Conservative administration, this investment is affordable and key to the community in Sheerwater."

"To build a healthy, engaged and prospering community, the Council is taking an asset-based community development approach to its partnership work in Sheerwater. We are supporting and working alongside all those who have a role in the future wellbeing of Sheerwater. St Michael's is a key partner in meeting the spiritual and wellbeing needs of the Sheerwater community, and I am delighted that it will benefit from the creation of a new hub, which will support vulnerable residents for years to come."