A £500,000 education and community centre is being planned in Matterdale on the site of a former school recreation ground.
Planning permission has been submitted for a new building in a field owned by Matterdale Parish Council, to replace a residential centre which closed in 2001 as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak, and the former village hall nearby, which closed in 2016.
The development, on the minor road from Matterdale Church to Ulcat Row, has been designed by 2030 Architects in consultation with the parish council and Matterdale Community Association (MCA).
In addition to serving the local community, it is expected to be available for booking by children’s and young people’s groups, to enable them to learn about and experience the northern Lakes, especially the Ullswater area.
Parish council clerk David Brown said: “Local people need a hall for social and other functions.
“This new facility will enhance the community and Matterdale as a place to live.
“There is already a lively and active community in the Matterdale valley, despite the loss of its hall, and the proposal is one which has the strong support of the parish council, which has long planned to replace the former hall.”
Mr Brown added that the development had the support of both Eden Council and the county council, both of which had given grants from their respective community funds towards the cost.
He said about £450,000 had already been raised and around £50,000 was now needed to fully fund the development.
Veronica Gore, chairwoman of MCA, said the association had been putting on events since 2016 in various venues in the valley.
“The new centre will give us the opportunity to develop a whole range of social, educational, sporting and creative activities for the benefit and wellbeing of the whole community in the short and long term.
“We also welcome the possibility of making the centre available to groups of young people to learn about the beauty of our landscape, its history, its culture, its geology, as well as experiencing a night under the stars”, she said.
