how to / create centres / buildings / writing Location You will need to describe the area where the project is going to be situated. What local authority ward are you operating in? This is important as it may link your project to certain indicators of need, or funding criteria. What is the population? You can find out this by asking your Local Authority or visiting your local library What is the area and its community like, and how might this affect their needs and your project's services? What are local schools and colleges like? What kind of work do people do? Are many unemployed? What is there for people to do in their spare time? Is it a rural or urban environment? How easy is it to get to your location and your building by public transport? Community needs affect funding. For the NOF/DfEE ICT Learning Centres funding there are eligible categories: - the 2000 most deprived local authority wards according to the DETR 1998 Index of Deprivation. For guidance provided by DfEE click here. - rural areas with significant transport and deprivation problems. The Countryside Agency is working on some new indicators of disadvantage that are appropriate to rural issues and are hoping to publish these by March 2000. - small areas of deprivation within more prosperous areas. Your Local Authority may help you to show this, through quoting data it has collected. Or you could ask people to fill in a questionnaire - disadvantaged groups with no or low ICT skills. Your Local Authority may help you to show this, through quoting data it has collected. Or you could ask people to fill in a questionnaire The main focus of the NOF/DfEE ICT Learning Centres funding is the provision of ICT equipment, although the costs of building new premises or adapting existing buildings are eligible to be considered for funding. The balance between the funding requested for premises and for equipment will be a key factor when applications are assessed. (See p.26 of the NOF/DfEE Application Guide). Here is some sample text you might build on: "XX is a small town in a rural area which meets the Countryside Agency's new indicators of disadvantage. The population of .... is big enough to generate considerable demand for training in the use of information and communication technology. There are only a few leisure facilities locally such as ........ and little for young people to do in their spare time. Our survey showed that only 20 out of a hundred households had any kind of personal computer, and only 6 had an Internet connection." Premises What kind of space do you need to carry out your aims? Click here for more ideas on premises. When you have decided on premises, you will need to describe them and include a map of the location and a plan of the premises, showing how they will be used. Who owns the building? Will you lease or hire space? How soon will it be ready, and what restrictions are there on opening hours or the length of your lease? If you are signing a contract or lease you should take legal advice. For a free session with a solicitor contact Lawyers for your Business. You may also want draw up a list of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for the premises (this is called a SWOT Analysis). For example a strength may be easy access for the disabled, a weakness could be poor public transport, cramped accommodation. An opportunity would be having identified funding for some modifications, a threat would be having limited room for growth. Even if you don't need a SWOT to fill in a funding application it is a good way to show you have thought things through, and a good way to get your group or community to contribute ideas, share your vision, or compromise: no building is perfect. If you are applying for funding to modify the premises you should provide plans of what they are like now and how they will be changed. You will need to include architectural plans when this is appropriate. (For ICT learning Centre funding, see p.28 application guide). You will need to investigate whether planning permission is required for any modifications or whether there will be a change of use which requires planning consent. To check , contact your local authority planning department. List any other laws which you will have to comply with. For example, if you are going to be providing food on the premises you will need to contact the local Environmental Health Department at the local council and comply with General Food Hygiene Regulations 1995 For ICT learning Centre funding, you must provide clear and detailed information on where the project will operate from. (Application form 6.1) If you will be running projects at more than one site you must provide information on each of the places where you will operate. You must explain how you meet the eligibility criteria (6.2) and the local authority wards you will operate in (6.4). The application guide states that centres must be accessible to people with disabilities and people with caring responsibilities. You must also demonstrate that you have addressed issues of heating, ventilation and lighting and that there is enough space for the workstations and equipment to allow people to work in comfort. (see p.28 of the application guide). how to / create centres / buildings / writing