Finding New Premises

wrote

Why not? The local council provide the premises for Hull's model railway club. Tell them you're a community group and ask if they can help - it costs nothing to ask.

John.

I get the impression that the committee have already tried this route in the past but there is no harm in asking again.

Kevin

In message , snipped-for-privacy@mwfree.net writes

It would help if you said where you were......

Hertfordshire/London borders. I don't want to give to much away as it is not confirmed.

Kevin

Where are you?

We've had to move from permanent to Church Hall. You may have to put up with that.

However, get your story in the local press, with a picture preferrably.

Look at closed hospital wards/school rooms/ local scouts etc.

Look at old warehousing and the like or if your rural, old mills etc.

Best of luck. Been there, done it, got the teeshirt. But only just survived.

Would echo these comments. Dumfries and District MRC meet in a community centre, now owned by Council. You might have to identify a seemingly empty property and ask about it. Possibly depends how property management handled.

Network Rail or a TOC? First ScotRail recently had something about making surplus accomodation available to Community Groups on mutually advantageous grounds, although it seems to have disappeared from their website now. Maybe somthing similar near to you?

Good luck. Done the searching for alternative properties, without any joy.

I've noted all the comments and see how we go. Being in the South East you tend not to get many empty suitable premises or not for the sort of rents that a model railway club can or is prepared to pay. I have to say that I think the chances of finding somewhere where a permanent layout can be built and for a very low rent will be very difficult but I couldn't think where to start but would at least be worth starting with the council. At least we will know where we stand come the next local council election.

Kevin

Like anything else you have to go to them, they won't come to you.

As other people have mentioned keep an eye out for old industrial premises and try to chase down who's responsible. In particular look for stuff with little or no commercial value, i.e. poor condition, bad location, lack of easy access. These will be hard to shift and you can haggle the landlord down. A good clue is if the place seems to have been, or stays, empty for a long time. All a club needs is somewhere secure and dry with reasonable access, oh yes and mains electricity of course :-)

In our area, North Wiltshire, a number of estate agents advertise properties online.

Our current clubroom is rented from Spacia,

handle rental of property belonging to Network Rail. It's wooden a grade II listed building stuck between the station car park and a retail park. To shabby for most industrial users but can't be redeveloped because of its status. We got a good price and they no longer have an empty building steadily getting dilapidated (we have to maintain it under the conditions of the lease).

Sometimes it can be a struggle to find the rent, especially for a small club, but we don't have to pack everything away every night, we can pop in and play when we like, and we're not subject to the whim of a benefactor who suddenly decides they don't want us any more.

Have you tried pubs? When I was trying to start a local group some years ago I had a word with the landlords of the six main street pubs in our local town. All in old buildings, and two offered a "place out the back upstairs". Both had a single socket, one without lighting. It was a case of "if you put your own wiring in and the lads buy a few beers we wont fall out". Unfortunately I couldn't get enough "lads" interested because I wanted the club to be open to youngsters.

Ken.