BOSSES at Ford Park in Ulverston have set up a survey for the community to have their say on what they want to see a new building used for.

Planning permission to build a new community room was granted by Westmorland and Furness Council last month.

Ford Park bosses said: “We are keen to hear your thoughts on this project and would love to know what you would like to see the community room used for; what new groups could utilise this space and how you feel it would benefit the community and the park.

“Please get involved by following the link and completing the survey. Information will be treated in strictest confidence and used only for the purpose of planning for the new community room.”

You can take the survey here.

As The Williams Room in the Coach House is always in high demand, Ford Park felt that they needed to offer additional space.

The current room is used by a wide range of groups throughout the week and for workshops, events and private functions at the weekend.

Bosses said with so many groups and small businesses seeking to hire affordable space locally, they needed to find a solution that would benefit the community and also support the upkeep of the park.

A plan for the new space has been evolving since August 2022 when Ford Park met with Steve and James from Digital Woodoo.

The idea is for the new space to be a community room, which members of the town can get involved with and even help with the building process.

Last year, Ford Park welcomed site visits from architects and the Town Council as they put together a business study and funding applications to proceed to the next stage.

In October, they were thrilled to receive a grant from The Community Infrastructure Levy which enabled work to begin on designs for the new building. The grant also supported the commission of site surveys.

The new community room will be a WikiHouse construction made up of digitally fabricated blocks that can be assembled onsite with the help of the community.

Digital Woodoo sources responsibly grown wood which captures carbon from the atmosphere and stores it, meaning the new community room will be carbon-negative.

Ford Park said being carbon-negative is a ‘key factor’ as they continue to protect the park and the environment.

The build also requires no foundations, it will be held in place by screws and anchors attached to the ground so it will not disturb tree roots.

The new build will be situated at the very far end of the car park and will be fully accessible, with a large multi-use space, kitchen and toilets which will also be available for use when events are being held on the field.

As they begin to finalise finer details and costings, Ford Park said their focus is turning to grant applications and fundraising.

They said: “Although the final total will be a significant amount, it is far more cost effective than a traditional build and aesthetically fitting for a community park.”