In 2015, we were appointed by Great Glen Parish Council to develop a new Village Centre that would serve as a vital community hub. The project involved creating a café, library, parish office, and sports hall with ancillary facilities, alongside improvements to the existing village hall on Main Street. Appointed for RIBA Stages 0–3, we worked closely with the Parish Council, submitting several applications and successfully obtaining planning permission for the scheme.

The new Village Centre has been designed to accommodate a range of essential services, including a four-consulting-room satellite doctors’ surgery, ensuring accessible healthcare for the local community. A drop-in café space will provide a welcoming area for visitors, serving users of the main hall, meeting spaces, and surgery, as well as supporting performances within the new hall. Leicestershire Constabulary is also expected to use the centre as a neighbourhood police office, further embedding it within the heart of the community.

In addition to these services, the centre will offer much-needed facilities for the Parish Council, providing office and meeting spaces, as well as flexible general-purpose rooms to encourage greater community use. The local drama group has been actively consulted throughout the design process, ensuring that the layout supports their needs and allows the group to continue thriving in the village.

The new hall has also been designed with sports and wellbeing in mind, creating a purpose-built space for recreational badminton and a variety of other activities. While parking is always a consideration for a facility of this nature, the new centre has been carefully designed to minimise impact, resulting in the loss of just one space.

Given its central location, many users are expected to walk or cycle to the building, promoting a sustainable ‘green travel’ approach and reinforcing its role as an accessible, community-focused development.