Trafford Hall Community Outdoor Classroom Granted Outline Planning

The National Communities Resource Centre (NCRC) had good news the other day as is its proposed outdoor classroom at Trafford Hall was granted outline planning permission.

The new centre, designed by ECD Architects, is for the construction of an outdoor classroom in the grounds of Trafford Hall – a 250-year-old Georgian Grade II listed building set in 14 acres of ground. Trafford Hall is home to the NCRC, a charity that works to close the gap that exists in communities across the UK by providing training, support and know-how for people living in low income neighbourhoods.

The idea of creating an outdoor classroom has been around for decades as it will provide a suitable venue for the charity events to take place, even during periods of bad weather. With this in mind, money has been raised over the years through the Professor Sir John Hills Memorial Fund to allow the outdoor classroom to become a reality.

The proposed site sits within an open grassland area to the north of the Hall and the YHA – a Segal self-build centre which provides hostel accommodation within the grounds for locals and tourists. The site itself is enclosed on all sides by trees, hedges and dense shrubbery which will assist in ensuring the classroom has minimal impact on the aesthetic of the environment.

Initially, the intention was to re-use an existing derelict timber barn instead of building a new structure from scratch as sustainability is incredibly important to the NCRC. However, after further investigation into this option, it was deemed not feasible due to availability, transport and financial implications. The plan is therefore to construct a new timber frame 10m x 8m barn with young volunteers and trainees from the local community, particularly reaching out to those not currently in employment or training, using sustainably sourced or recycled materials to teach the volunteers and trainees about “green” building skills.

Maria Buenaventura, Senior Associate & Passivhaus Designer at ECD Architects confirmed:
“The project recently received outline planning approval and we are currently developing the detailed design. Subject to review we will be looking to procure a contractor in the New Year.” 

James Traynor, Managing Director commented: “ECD is a great believer in supporting and empowering children, young people and their families, and this pro-bono project is a great example of our commitment to the communities that we work with. This new outdoor classroom for the NCRC will be a great place for families to connect, learn, share ideas and have fun in beautiful surroundings.” 

Dilveer Kaur Hoonjan, Senior Architect & Passivhaus Designer at ECD Architects, noted within the design of the new facility “one side of the new barn will be openable to warrant free movement between the outdoors and the classroom space enabling complete connectivity to the natural world. Solar powered lighting is proposed across the site and within the outdoor classroom itself to provide sufficient lighting during darker hours. The water supply, taken from the nearby YHA building, and drainage soakaway will be located to the north of the site. This then frees up the west of the site for communal activity spaces which will include seating and a firepit that can be used for cooking.”