Thank goodness recreation area is protected

An excess of people and groups wanting more than there is space to allow.

The Warren Recreation Ground likewise. It was given to the village in 1943, as a charitable trust, and is fortunately protected by the Charity Commission.

It has a cricket field that is barely large enough, a minimal car park, a children's play area and a tennis court. Most prominently, it has old farm buildings that were intended for continued use as a community facility, and upgrading to a village hall.

Consideration of schemes for that hall came to fruition after 1981.

Various practical considerations resulted in the conversion providing good facilities, but the roof of the building is purely utilitarian.

However, the cricket club managed to provide itself with a building that is both utilitarian and of architectural merit.

The present village hall could be vastly improved, given a similar tile profile metal roof, and tiled roof dormers.

Any large extension, on this crowded site, is likely to appear excessive, but might be achieved with great imagination.

The cost will be a reduced car park, a refurbished play area that will need to be of modern standards, but may find itself with a smaller site and therefore fewer facilities than otherwise, and perhaps a nuisance to neighbours.

Provision of a hall extension that is a parallel to, and a virtual replica of the Warren Room, could give the appearance of an industrial warehouse site.

If flintwork facings are used on the new range, the result could be anything from good to disastrous, depending on the type of block used and how it is treated.

Anyone considering this might take a view of the Look and Sea! centre at Littlehampton.

R. W. Standing, Sea Road, East Preston

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