The Department of Community, Culture and Leisure is to progress plans to build a multi-use community activity hall at Rushen Primary School. A bid led by the area’s three Members of the House of Keys has won the Department’s support to provide a low cost activity hall with purpose built accommodation amounting to four badminton courts in area, also suitable for 5-aside football. The Department of Education and Children, a key partner of the Sport and Healthy Schools Partnership, has given its agreement for the hall to be sited on land at Rushen Primary School. Hon. David Cretney MHK, Minister for DCCL, commented: ‘The aim of inviting applications for these community activity halls was to provide rural areas with a multi-use building where there was an identified need. Rushen’s application had all the necessary components, namely community support, a lack of nearby facilities and a location on which to site the hall and I am pleased the Department is able to progress with this development.’ The Department will ask the applicants to formalise the management structure for the activity hall before applying for planning permission. It anticipates the facility could be operational within two years, subject to Tynwald support and planning approval. Rushen MHK Juan Watterson led Rushen’s bid. He commented: ‘We received expressions of interest in the project from many local clubs and societies along with the four local authorities: Arbory, Port Erin, Port St Mary and Rushen. Now the hard work starts in earnest – we want to put in place a board of directors from amongst the interested parties to be able to operate the facility successfully. We are very excited to be taking the project forward and look forward to working in partnership with the Department to ensure the scheme comes to fruition for the benefit of people in the south.’ Quintin Gill MHK is both a Member of the DCCL and involved in the bid. He said: ‘I am obviously very pleased that Rushen’s application has been successful. As a political Member of the Department, I could take no part in the decision but I fully supported my constituency colleagues in progressing the business case for the provision of a multi-use hall in Rushen, and I want to make sure everything is done to bring the necessary people together so that the planning process can start.’ Phil Gawne MHK added: ‘It is great that both the DCCL and the Department of Education and Children have supported our proposal to locate the first multi-use activity hall at Rushen School. Before the DCCL can progress with planning and building the hall, the hard work starts in the community with people needed to step up and take the scheme forward. I hope the early expressions of interest will translate into continued support and Rushen can reap the benefits as soon as possible.’ Any clubs, groups or societies interested in being involved with the management of Rushen’s activity hall is asked to contact Mr Watterson via email juan.watterson@gov.im or by phone on 651517. Background Multi-use activity halls provide an activity area of around 35 metres by 20 metres with a solid composite floor suitable for most indoor sports including badminton, 5-aside football, basketball, table tennis, netball and some non sport activities including yoga, dance, drama and craft workshops. They are constructed with a double plastic skin over a steel frame and cost in the region of ?650,000 to ?700,000, compared with a traditionally built hall of similar size, which would cost around ?2million. Provision of the activity hall for Rushen resulted from a cross department initiative involving three Departments – DCCL, DEC and the Department of Health through the Sport and Healthy Schools Partnership. It followed an Isle of Man Sports and Recreation Strategy that identified there were gaps in provision of sports and community halls in rural locations. The result was, rural communities outside the Douglas, Onchan, Braddan conurbations and Castletown, Peel and Ramsey (where secondary schools have the role of regional sports centre) were in July last year invited to apply for a hall, with detailed applications required by October 2010. Nine applications were received from all parts of the Island but only Rushen succeeded by having demonstrable community support and a suitable location. There are a number of market providers of these low cost activity halls and the Department has not yet decided on a specified manufacturer. The estimated life of such structures is 20 years although in practice, and with care, they can last longer. The building being considered by DCCL is the next generation of the type installed in Douglas by Albany Lawn Tennis Club over 15 years ago and still in good condition. In order to keep costs down the Department’s intention is that every activity hall it provides will be built to a standard design and specification. Minister Cretney added: ‘The Department hopes to purchase the first multi-use activity hall for Rushen before the end of the next financial year (2011-2012), subject to Tynwald approval. There was a second very strong bid from Marown Commissioners but unfortunately they do not currently have a suitable site. We will be working with them over the coming months to identify a suitable site with a view to the Department commissioning a second hall the following year.’ -Ends-