Fordington Church Proposal

6th October 2012.Updated 23rd October 2012

NOT FOR DISCUSSION OUTSIDE OF DORSAR AT PRESENT

The Long term objective to find DorSAR a permanent home remains unfulfilled. With an income stream unable to support the hiring or mortgaged purchase, we are limited to a ‘peppercorn rent’ or gift option.

An opportunity has arisen in that the current Methodist Church located at Fordington Dorchester is closing at the end of November and it will be up for sale (by sealed Bid). We are led to believe that the property is not listed but unlikely to obtain permission to be turned into dwellings, this being the case we understand the market value has been estimated at £120k (but as its sealed bid it will be down to the attention it attracts).

Should it be considered a suitable property/location etc, it is proposed that we make approaches, primarily to our Patron, to see if purchase and rent (hopefully Peppercorn) to us is viable/desirable.

As the building would, if we obtained it, be used by a charity it may be worth approaching the local Methodist Circuit (who have responsibility to dispose of the Building) and seeing if they would accept an offer (avoiding the Sealed Bid risk) but they have a duty to dispose of the building for the best return for their own charity. Update, the few people within the church that we have been able to discuss this are very supportive of the building being secured by us.

Please see pictures of the church below. The car park is the only land with the Church, all other boundaries are the walls of the building. Situated behind the church is the Council run Youth Centre with plenty of parking, not often used.

Update Initial thoughts are that if the the large hall is to be used as 'CV Garage' the floor would need to be changed to concrete (currently suspended wood floor), also the Lamp Post would need to be moved and a large roller door put into the South Elevation Gable Wall, it may be better to consider a new 'Lean To' type build in the current small car park as a more cost effective easier achieved solution. The flat roofed adjacent room is currently the toilets and smaller hall (still substantial enough to train 20 people). There is a small but adequate Kitchen at the rear of the large hall. Finally thehe largest North part of the building (currently the Church) would provide excellent Classroom/Lecture Room type accommodation without any alteration.

Click here for a Google Link

External Pictures

Fordington North Elevation Fordington Church North West Elevation
Fordington Church West Elevationonline casino title="Fordington Church West Elevation" /> Fordington Church South West Elevation
Fordington Church South Elevation Fordington Church East Elevation
Fordington Church North West inc Car park Fordington Church Carpark

Internal Pictures

Fordington Church Main Church Room Front

 Fordington Church Main Church Room Back
Fordington Church Main Church Room Ceiling
Fordington Church Large Hall Front Fordington Church Large Hall Rear
Fordington Church Small Hall Fordington Church Kitchen

Historic Approximate Running Costs (Prev 12 months)

Outgoings

  • Electricity : £55/Month
  • Gas: - No Gas supply
  • Water: Nil (in current circumstances)
  • Rates: Nil (in current circumstances)
  • Insurance: £800 pa
  • Fire Extinguisher checks & maintenance: £65 pa
  • Building maintenance & repairs (last two years): £600 & £1200

Income from Room/Hall lettings

  • Letting of large hall & small hall: £2,300 pa

(we understand that at least one of the major weekly groups (also a charity) that rents the hall would be extremely keen to continue in the premises, and the opinion is from the Church is that more letting is possible).