Case Study

The Gateway Centre

This project was one of those that just didn’t quite make it off the drawing board. We were approached by The Gateway Christian Fellowship, a Christian organisation in Harlow, and asked to assist them in developing a brief for a wide ranging community building which they wished to develop on a plot of land they had purchased in the Staple Tye area of Harlow.

Staple Tye is one of the most deprived areas of Harlow and the Church wanted to develop a building that would allow them to meet the needs of the local community through the provision of childcare, adult learning services, luncheon clubs for the elderly and a raft of other services.

Working with a small working committee we helped the Church to develop it’s vision and finalise a brief for the proposed building through consultation with a wide range of potential users as well as members of the church.

The resulting scheme received the unanimous support of Councillors when the Planning Application was submitted to Harlow Council.

Unfortunately the scheme was destined to existing only as a model as Local Authority funding received from Essex County Council for the nursery element of the scheme and the associated timescales did not allow the Church to complete it’s fundraising despite the scheme having won universal praise from the childcare professionals at the County Council.