PROJECT Gateway blog - January 2024
Welcome to Gateway’s first blog!
We’ll be keeping you up to date with the project’s progress with this new monthly blog. Members of the Gateway team will be taking turns to write it and introduce themselves in case you don’t know who we are.
First of all, let me tell you a little bit about myself – I’m Rachael Purvis and I am coordinating the project. I’ve been involved with the project on and off for approximately 12 years, first as a volunteer, then in my past role as Ops Director, and now as a volunteer again. I’m passionate about getting this project done and making ChristChurch’s buildings the best they can be with the resources we have, to release all that God has for us to do in Woking and beyond.
So where have we got to with the project? I’ll break it down into the different areas.
Building design
The building design was re-scoped and separated into phases after the pandemic in response to changed priorities and different financial circumstances. The new plans focus on Phase 1 and more detailed work on them began this month with the architect and expert consultants. This will take on board inputs from the different staff and ministry teams about how the building needs to operate. It will also start to look at how specific systems need to be updated or replaced to make the building function as efficiently and effectively as possible. This work is formally called ‘Stage 3’ under the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Planning Permission
We have to gain two different sorts of permission: from Woking Council – which we got in January 2020; and from the Diocese (called a Faculty). Our Faculty application is currently on the last step of the approval process and we hope to hear shortly that they have approved the project. Our council planning permission will expire in January 2025.
Timescales
We have to get building construction work started in January 2025 at the latest! We are working with our project planning consultants and looking at if and when we might need to vacate the church, or parts of the church, to allow the builders the access they need. Currently it looks like we will be going out to tender for our construction contractor in the late summer, and building work will start in January 2025.
Finance
We have raised approximately £3M through donations/pledges from our wonderful faithful ChristChurch family, with £1.3M of that in the bank. To complete Phase 1 work we need another £2M. We have made, and are continuing to make, applications for grants, and we’re waiting to hear back from the first few. Meanwhile we are always keen to hear from anyone who would like to make a donation/pledge.
Exciting news just in - Benefact will be giving us a grant of £75k
If you want more information on the project, or to find out how you can support it financially, take a look at our Gateway pages on ChristChurch’s website, or you can chat to me or any other members of the team: Adrian Beavis (Vicar), Steve Roberts (Project Leader), Walter Coxon (Finance), Mike Pearce (Technical), Peter Wichmann (CCW building knowledge and expertise). If you’d like to email us with a specific query you can do so at this email address: gateway@ccwoking.org
Looking forward to updating you again in February.