Celebrating 20 years of community activity at a much-loved venue

North Horsham Parish Council is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the original opening of Roffey Millennium Hall – and looks forward to the day it can be opened once more.
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The large, two-storey hall, in Crawley Road, Horsham, was built on the site of a former Renault garage, owned by Harry Lines.

It was officially declared open on July 21, 2000, by Bryan Robinson, the first chairman of North Horsham Parish Council, and has become a much-loved place for community gatherings.

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This was a great day for Roffey, ending years of searching for a suitable community hall.

Bryan Robinson cuts the ribbon to open Roffey Millennium Hall on July 21, 2000, watched by council chairman Peter Burgess, Francis Maude MP and councillor Liz KitchenBryan Robinson cuts the ribbon to open Roffey Millennium Hall on July 21, 2000, watched by council chairman Peter Burgess, Francis Maude MP and councillor Liz Kitchen
Bryan Robinson cuts the ribbon to open Roffey Millennium Hall on July 21, 2000, watched by council chairman Peter Burgess, Francis Maude MP and councillor Liz Kitchen

Pauline Whitehead, clerk to the council, said: “North Horsham Parish Council had been proactive in looking for land to build a community facility and worked with Horsham District Council when the site on Crawley Road became available.

“The magnificent hall brought new opportunities for the local community to meet in a building designed to give a choice of facilities for different requirements and events.”

Roffey Millennium Hall complements the parish council’s other halls, North Heath Hall in North Heath Lane and Holbrook Tythe Barn in Pondtail Road.

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Until Roffey Millennium Hall was built, the only community facilities in Roffey were The Roffey Institute, the church and school halls, which still provide such facilities now.

Roffey Millennium Hall. Photo: GoogleRoffey Millennium Hall. Photo: Google
Roffey Millennium Hall. Photo: Google

Pauline added: “Roffey Millennium Hall is a well-loved and well-used building and it is unfortunate that it is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic at the time of this milestone anniversary.”

Peter Burgess, who was chairman of North Horsham Parish Council at the time of the opening, offered appreciation and paid tribute to the hard work and dedication of Mr Robinson, Peter Lewis, Denny Hilliard and the clerk in 2000, John Pollard, who were the main drivers in opening all three halls owned and managed by the parish council over the years.

Current chairman Alan Britten said: “Those dedicated men and women that have gone before us have laid positive foundations for our communities and provided us with fantastic facilities. I look forward to the day when they will be fully used as they were intended.”

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Mr Robinson was elected to Horsham Rural Parish Council in 1972 and was chairman in 1976 and 1985. When the Boundary Commission reduced the number of wards in 1987, Mr Robinson became the first chairman of North Horsham Parish Council and was re-elected to office in 1988, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1998.

North Horsham Parish Council was a successor to the original Horsham Rural Parish Council, which was formed after Parliament passed The Local Government Act of 1894, known as The Parish Councils Act.

As Mr Robinson explained in his speech at the opening of the hall: “This allowed the men and women of the parish to meet in their own village hall or schoolroom and elect by ‘secret ballot vote’ the parish councillors to represent them.

“This authority took the place of the old parochial council, known as the vestry, which was dominated by property owners and chaired by the local parson.

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“All the vestry powers, except those that related to the church, were taken over by the parish council. The first meeting took place in Roffey in 1895, when Mr F.J. Piggott was elected chairman.

“The Horsham Rural Parish Council consisted of parish councillors representing Southwater, Broadbridge Heath, half of Faygate, Roffey, Pondtail Road (later Holbrook) and Doomsday Green, which was a section adjacent to Heron Way.

“In fact, the rural parish council boundaries encircled Horsham town, except for a break at Warnham, which is still an original parish council.

“In 1974, as the community infrastructure was at least ten years after the building of new housing developments, the Horsham Rural Parish Council first formed a strategic planning committee. Wherever there was a need, we acquired land for community use, either by lease or purchase, and helped finance local community organisations and village halls, but no opportunity occurred for a hall in Roffey.

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“In 1984, the Roffey ward asked the district council to carry out a survey of possible sites for a new community centre. Three sites were suggested but over the next 14 years, for various reasons, none were viable.

“I despaired of ever seeing a new community hall, when suddenly, this site became available and a joint venture with Horsham District Council has resulted in this magnificent hall.”

Mr Robinson paid tribute to the many men and women over the previous 105 years who ‘had been willing to give up their time, for no monetary reward, to represent the residents of the original Horsham Rural and the present North Horsham Parish Councils’ as he declared the Roffey Millennium Hall open.

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