An application for a £2.9 million National Lottery grant for redevelopment of the Brunel Building at Atmos Totnes has been accepted by Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Totnes Community Development Society (TCDS) have now been awarded an initial development Heritage Enterprise grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) of £199,000 to finish the pre-development work on the Brunel Building. Subject to the approval by HLF of this first stage of work, the award of the second, and largest sum will be made, taking the total grant for the Brunel Building to approximately £2.9 million.

The Brunel Building, on the Atmos Totnes site, will include workshop space, offices and a cafe as well as flexibility for the whole building to transform regularly into larger space for sizable events. The proposals approved within the grant application include the development and pilot of a large scale Community Labour Initiative, where formal and informal training is centrally integrated into the physical development of the Brunel Building. This will roll out to enable training and skills development for those within the community, including young people, throughout the build process of Atmos Totnes.

Background: The wider scheme

Plans for Atmos Totnes were put together through an extensive period of consultation, with thousands of contributions of ideas, feedback and reviews from members of the local community. The scheme includes 62 community affordable homes, a hotel, a school for food entrepreneurs and a brewery, with the majority of the Atmos Totnes site being owned by the community of Totnes in perpetuity.

Subsequent to the community-led design process the scheme was taken through a Community Right to Build Order (one of the first in the country) concluding with a referendum by local people last November where 86% of votes were cast in favour of the scheme receiving planning permission. Consequently the Community Right to Build Order for the scheme (including the Brunel Building) was Made by South Hams District Council on 1st March this year. During the remaining pre-development period for Atmos Totnes, the Environment Agency will be using space on the site as a temporary compound as their contractors BAM Nuttall carry out flood defence works across Totnes.

For more information about Atmos Totnes click here