Bearsden Cross Church - Development Group Archive
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2007April
June
September
October
November
December
2008
February
March
April
May
April
2007 At
its first meeting on 26th February the group spent some time discussing
the vision for the kind of Church to
be created at Bearsden Cross, and the range and nature of the services
to
be made available to the congregation and to the local community. This
discussion has resulted in the production of the Vision Statement.
- A
Finance Sub-Committee - to consider availability of
current funds, and to consider what proportion can be set aside for the
development fund.
- A
Planning Sub-Committee - to investigate initial
procedures for obtaining first stage planning approval.
- A
Fundraising Sub-Committee - to investigate possible sources
of funding.
- A
Briefing Sub-Committee - to prepare methodology for taking a
‘needs analysis’ for organisations using church premises; to discuss
amenity and accommodation requirements which can ultimately help steer
architects.
- A
Visits Sub-Committee – to select and arrange visits
to Churches that have recently undergone re-development.
The
importance of communication with the congregation was emphasised, and
updates on progress will be provided as frequently as
possible by
means of
regular reports to the Board and Session and articles in the Church
magazine. A notice board is available in the
Church to keep the congregation up to date.
At
the second meeting on 26th
March the Group received two presentations. The first, outlined a
method of applying to the project a Strategic Briefing
Process,
which is used by architects and designers for
project development. This involved the identifying and prioritising of
key
stakeholders. To
advance this the Group will hold a brainstorming exercise on
30th April to determine the
outline requirements for the development of the site at the Cross.
The
second presentation was on the benefits of considering
commercial practices which
would also be relevant to the disposal of the South Church site. The first stage would be
to obtain and
determine the quality of planning consent.
This would provide a clear idea of what development
opportunities were
permissible and any constraints which might be imposed by the Local
Authority
Planning Department. The site would need to be marketed to as
wide
an audience as possible to maximise interest.
In addition, clear targets should be set which potential
bidders would
require to meet before their proposal is considered further.
The
Group agreed to consider two options for planning proposals:
(a)
the
sale of the South site and
buildings, excluding the manse
(b)
the
sale of the South site and
buildings, including the manse
A
list of potential firms who might wish to market the site on behalf of
the
Church, together with a brief letter of invitation would be produced
for the
next meeting and the North and
South sites will be measured.
Group
members were given a friendly reception at the
Churches, Cathcart Trinity and Sandyford
Henderson and had the opportunity to see the result
of the improvements
and discuss the way that each project had been handled.
Such visits are
proving to be of considerable value in informing our views on how to
proceed
with the way that the site at Bearsden Cross might be developed.Two
further visits have been arranged - Bearsden Baptist
Church on 1st May
and Cairns Church Milngavie
on 13th May.
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The Group held a Brainstorming Session on 30th April which focused on the key issues of the Vision statement. Consideration was given to the likely space requirements, and opinions were sought on the mood and atmosphere it is hoped will prevail in the refurbished North Building. The Development Group discussed the outcomes of the session and identified the following steps:
- understand the demands of the community;
- listing and prioritising other users;
- listing additional space requirements;
- drafting a questionnaire seeking the views of the congregation.
It was agreed that the Minister and the Convenor would contact the new local councillors with a view to outlining the Church's vision and to enlist their support.
The Development Group will meet again on 11th June and 9th July.
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September 2007 The Group met on Monday 9th July. In response to an invitation from the convenor of the Planning Sub-committee, five property agents had expressed an interest in acting on our behalf to progress the sale of the South Building site and possibly the Manse. Subsequently three were interviewed to decide on the firm to appoint to arrange the sale of the site.
The Briefing Sub-committee reported on some 36 interviews held with users of each of the buildings and the results of these will help identify storage the accommodation and storage requirements for the redeveloped North site.
The group received a draft report on the visits programme. It is planned that a final version will be available for interested members of the congregation.
An architects' briefing document was circulated and discussed. It was agreed that a draft strategic brief would be prepared and considered by the Group at its next meeting.
A Congregational questionnaire is being distributed and the North Church will be open for those who wish to inspect the building and facilities to help in their responses to the questionnaire. The questionnaires are to be returned by the end of September.
A list of architects has been tabled for consideration and firms will be invited to express interest.
An
'As Built' survey of the North building will be commissioned and in due course a
geotechnical
survey of the North site will need to be carried out.
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A congregational questionnaire has been produced and distributed, It contains questions on how we might approach the refurbishment of the North building.
Four firms of architects were selected as possible designers of the development proposals to realise the vision of the congregation. All have been contacted and have expressed an interest in being appointed. They are Page and Park, Elder and Cannon, Davis Duncan and Groves-Raines. An appointment will not be made till a Strategic Brief setting out what we wish to achieve. A briefing document is currently being prepared which will be issued to the architects as a preliminary step. It will include an 'as built' survey of the North building.
The
Briefing sub-committee has carried out around 36 interviews with users
of the facilities and the results of these will be used to identify
accommodation and storage requirements for the redevelopment.
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Following some discussion, the Group concluded that it was not yet appropriate to make a decision on whether the Manse should be included in the marketing of the site and agreed to invite DM Hall to provide valuations following their meeting with the Local Authority.
The Group met again on 8th October when the main item on the agenda was the completion of the final version of the Strategic Brief. This is the document that will be issued to the four firms of architects on the shortlist. Its purpose is to provide each with ideas on the way in which we would like the redeveloped North Building to fulfill the ideas set out in the Vision. The document includes information on:
- what we have learned from visiting other churches
- details on the ways in which the building would be used by church organisations and by external bodies
- our views about the building (what we like and what we don’t)
- our thoughts on the mood, atmosphere, look and feel of the refurbished building
- an outline possible budget.
- agreement to seek quotations for a conditions survey of the North Building in order to assess its general state of health and to highlight any problems for immediate attention.
- the work of the Sub-Committee on the retention of the South Building windows. Three groups of windows of special importance had been identified for retention - the War Memorial, the King David Window and one further group of decorative windows.
- a report that approximately 130 Questionnaire forms had been completed and are being analysed by a Sub-Committee - the results will be issued with the next issue of the magazine.
- the opportunity to inspect the North Building during September resulted in visits by 70 former South Church members and a small number of former North Church members. General comments included comparison of size between the North and South sanctuaries and recognition that much work had to be done in the redevelopment process.
- the possibility of the Antonine Wall being recognised as a World Heritage Site was reported. This raised some concern by members of the Group concerning possible limitations for the development of the North Building.
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December 2007 / January 2008 The Group met on Monday 6th November. DM Hall, the firm which has been appointed to conduct the marketing of the South site, had submitted a report which was discussed at some length. DM Hall has recommended that:
* the disposal of the South site whilst retaining the manse would not be practicable
* Bearsden Cross Church should sell the manse and the site as a single package
* development of the North site should be planned while leaving the South Site intact
* the North site should be developed with funding from commercial loans and Church funds
* when the development of the North site is complete, the South site should be sold and repayment of loans made from the proceeds of the sale.
DM Hall offered to undertake a feasibility study to produce drawings indicating the way in which the South site might be developed incorporating a mix of two and three bedroom flats. This feasibility drawing, costing £700 plus VAT, could be used in a marketing campaign and could be of further benefit in providing a more accurate idea of the likely sales value of the site, and hence the funds available for the refurbishment of the North building.
After discussion it was decided to invite DM Hall to attend the next meeting to provide more information about this study, to answer questions and to defend their fee proposal.
The four short-listed firms of architects (Page&Park, Elder&Cannon, Nicolas Groves-Raines and Davis Duncan) had confirmed their willingness to be considered for appointment. In order to proceed with the selection process, a sub-group with Joyce Deans as convener was formed to conduct interviews. It is hoped that a recommendation will be brought forward to the next meeting on 3rd December.
It was agreed to accept the offer of representatives from the Church of Scotland Committee on Church Art and Architecture (CARTA) to visit the North building and to discuss ways in which CARTA might provide advice on how to deal with some aspects of the development project. This committee's remit is to advise congregations on the most appropriate way of carrying out renovations or alterations, with particular emphasis on the architectural features of church buildings. We are grateful to Richard Day for organising this visit.
The Group was provided with a report written by Rod Ashley analysing the results of the congregational Questionnaire. The total number of questionnaire forms completed was 126 all with the exception of three being members of the congregation. The predominant group accounting for 78% of the responses was the over 51-age group. It was noted that there had been very few responses from the younger age group and it was suggested that a visit to the Bible Class by a member of the Development Group might encourage some interest. It was decided to make the report available to members of the congregation.
David Adams had contacted three firms to provide a quotation for a conditions survey of the North building in order to assess its general state of health and to highlight any problems for immediate attention. DM Hall was chosen to carry out this work at a cost of £3500 plus VAT.
Since the Antonine Wall may become a World Heritage site, it was suggested that we may need to appoint an archaeologist to undertake a survey. It was agreed to invite Derek Hall of SUAT (Archaeological Consultants and Contractors) to attend the next meeting and to outline what would be involved in carrying out an archaeological dig.
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February 2008 The Group has met twice since last reported. On 3rd December Mr Derek Hall of SUAT Limited, a firm providing professional archaeological services, attended. He reported on his discussions with East Dunbartonshire Council and Historic Scotland about the situation regarding the Antonine Wall being designated as a World Heritage Site. Historic Scotland had confirmed that the area of the Antonine Wall which falls within the North church grounds is not a scheduled monument and therefore does not fall within its remit but should be referred to the local authority archaeologist. East Dunbartonshire Council, however, does not have an appointed archaeologist so it is difficult to ascertain what the Council's requirements might be in terms of an archaeological evaluation. At the meeting of the Group on 14th January, it was agreed to contact Mr Hall again to seek a quotation for an archaeological evaluation based on the discussions at the 3rd December meeting.
Graeme Todd of DM Hall attended the meeting on 3rd December. He confirmed that it was his firm's view and recommendation that the South Site should be sold with the Manse. The redevelopment of the current South church building into flats would not be a desirable marketing option: instead, the site should be marketed for the construction of a new building. He proposed a feasibility study which would take into consideration the views of East Dunbartonshire Planning Department and its current policies and would produce a drawing showing a suggested number of flats, parking areas, etc. building costs and the proceeds of the sale would be considered providing an estimated residual value of the site. The final drawings would also be useful for marketing the site. The cost of the feasibility study would be £700. The January meeting agreed to instruct DM Hall to carry out the feasibility study.
The report from the Selection Panel on the appointment of architects had been circulated. The panel had unanimously agreed to recommend the appointment of Nicholas Groves-Raines, a recommendation which was endorsed by the Group. The January meeting included a discussion leading to the need to hove clarified the terms and conditions under which Nicholas Groves-Raines would proceed.
The January meeting received the report of DM Hall's conditions survey of the North Building. The need for certain repairs was highlighted in addition to the work necessary to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.
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March 2008 The Group met on Monday 18th February. Two finance reports were submitted outlining some possible financial outcomes of the costs likely to be incurred from the planned refurbishment of the North Building. This led too spirited discussion on the way in which the project might be taken forward. Much of the discussion focussed on the planned expenditure on the appointment of Groves-Raines Architects who had been asked to bring forward ideas on how the North Building might satisfy the criteria for our vision. The views of each member of the Group were sought and differing opinions expressed. The outcome was a vote in favour of inviting the architect to proceed, subject to the approval of Presbytery and the Congregational Board. These approvals have now been given.
A formal letter will now be sent to Groves-Raines Architects inviting this firm to submit a number of design options capable of satisfying the strategic brief document. Although this may take two or three months to accomplish, we look forward to seeing how this firm will bring forward some ideas on how the North Building might be redeveloped to meet the needs of the Congregation.
A report was provided on Sunday attendances at the Church. This was important because the architect has asked for an indication of the likely seating capacity of the refurbished North Building. Some members of the Group had volunteered to count the numbers attending over four successive Sundays - from 27th January to 17th February. The average attendance over these four Sundays (including Sunday School) was 278.
Since the Group had now been functioning for one year, consideration was given to its future structure and composition. Two members of the Group had submitted written comments outlining their ideas on how the Group might function more effectively. These ideas and the suggestions of other members will be discussed in more detail at the Groups next meeting on 31st March.
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April 2008 The Group has not met since the last report, the next meeting being scheduled for Monday 31st March. Following the meeting on 18th February, a formal letter of appointment was issued to Groves-Raines Architects Ltd., the firm engaged to produce some design options capable of satisfying the criteria set out in the Bearsden Cross Church Strategic Brief document.
Groves-Raines Architects is an award winning architectural practice which has a considerable reputation in conservation and innovative use of historic buildings. The practice has been involved in a large number of schemes aimed at securing the future of some of the finest examples of our built heritage and this has often included the preparation of conservation plans, feasibility studies and other appraisals.
The firm is currently engaged in the development of a visionary scheme to re-connect Aberdeen's ancient Kirk of St Nicholas with the busy centre of Aberdeen. This scheme will retain the historic value - and present working capacity - of the Kirk, while providing a range of new facilities like multi-purpose performance space, new offices/meeting spaces, café, a community kitchen and improved disabled access.
Other Groves-Raines projects include conservation work at St Magnus Church in Lerwick, Peuthill Kirk in Aberdeenshire, and the conversion of the former bowanhill Church (now the Cottier Theatre) and St Andrews in the Square in Glasgow to function as twenty first century performance venues.
The approach to be taken on behalf of Bearsden Cross Church will be first of all to understand the built and cultural heritage of the North Building site and liaise with the Development Group to discuss in more detail the strategic brief which was issued last autumn. Key opportunities and threats will be identified prior to the production of various design options (with costs) to demonstrate possible ways of redeveloping the site.
It is anticipated that the preparation of the proposed designs for the redevelopment of the North Building will take around three months.
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May 2008 The Group met on Sunday 30th March with John Pollock, Vice-Convener, as chairman. The need to maintain regular communication with Groves-Raines Architects during the period of the feasibility design process was discussed. It was agreed to form a Liaison Sub-Committee to be responsible for this. Five members of the Group will serve on this subcommittee which will ensure that the Group is kept up-to-date with matters related to the design proposals for the North Building.
A full report of a visit by CARTA, the Church of Scotland Committee on Church and Architecture; had been circulated to members of the Group. CARTA advises congregations and presbyteries on the most appropriate way of carrying out renovations and alterations, having regard to the architectural quality of church buildings. It also advises on the installation of stained glass, tapestries, memorials and furniture and fittings, and keeps a list of accredited artists and craft-workers. Any alteration to the exterior of a church building which affects its appearance must be referred to CARTA for approval.
Representatives from CARTA had visited both buildings last November to assess the potential relocation of fixtures and fittings and to advise on the significance of any art works. CARTA's report consisted of an evaluation of the artistic importance of the stained glass windows, tapestries and furniture in both buildings together with advice on how assistance could be provided as plans with the architects evolve.
Although it is anticipated that funds for the redevelopment of the North Building will be realised from the sale of the South Site, the Group are aware that it is likely that additional finance will be required. It was pointed out that there are funds available for church developments from trusts and other organisations. Examples of amounts received by some other churches were cited. It was agreed to take steps to form a fund-raising sub-committee and to identify individuals who might have the time, skills and commitment to participate in this work.
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