Modernising Horley Community Centre - online exhibition 2026

Site and context

Horley Community Centre sits on Albert Road, a quiet residential street a few minutes’ walk from the centre of Horley Town Centre.

It is open for activities and lunch Monday to Friday for all ages.

During the evenings and weekends, spaces within the centre are available to hire providing people with an opportunity to socialise, learn and access support.

The Centre also provides valuable spaces for local groups and statutory services to meet.

The building was constructed in the early 1980s and has changed very little in over 40 years.

On the ground floor it has one main community area, a social space and restaurant area that can be divided. Upstairs there is Regent Hall, which is a large community space.

The design vision

Key design objectives include:

• make the centre feel more open, welcoming and inclusive for all visitors
• improve the centre’s on-street presence and impact
• improve visitors’ experience of arrival, reception and circulation round the building
• create new and more varied community spaces within the building’s existing footprint
• expand and improve the café and social space at the heart of the centre
• use colours in selected areas to animate spaces
• specify attractive and robust materials, which will be durable with minimal maintenance
• keep the temperature inside more comfortable and consistent
• reduce energy use and running costs

Visualisation: possible interior treatment of cafe

Modernisation proposals: internal

The building interior will be substantially reorganised to provide a range of new or improved spaces and a better conditioned environment.

General

• Improved heating and cooling throughout the building and solar panels added to roof
• New low-energy lighting throughout
• Complete refresh of internal finishes including new flooring

Ground floor

• New reception directly inside the main entrance
• Expanded and refitted cafe, servery and kitchen
• Revamped toilets including new Changing Places and baby change facilities
• Reorganised hair and beauty suite with a private treatment room

First floor

• Plan reorganised to provide more bookable spaces, of varying sizes to accommodate a broad range of activities
• Regent Hall improved with stage removed and built-in storage
• Toilets refurbished and revamped

Proposed floor plans

Ground floor - proposed floor plan

First floor - proposed floor plan

Modernisation proposals: external

A range of improvements are proposed to the outside of the building, in order to make the centre more prominent, more welcoming and more accessible.

• A new, larger entrance canopy, providing a bigger covered area and including integrated signage
• Minibus parking moved onto the street by the main entrance
• New seating terrace in space vacated by minibus, with wooden tables and benches and new high-quality paving
• Street edge greened with a line of new timber planters, stocked with perennial shrubs and flowers
• Additional flower and shrub planting and new fence to the existing green area in front of the cafe/ social space
• New secure cycle parking by the main entrance

In addition, the building’s windows will be replaced or upgraded throughout - an important part of the thermal improvements integral to the project.

Proposed external works plan

Proposed canopy details

Responses to previous feedback

Accessibility

You said: The building needs improved accessibility throughout.

We did: We are making significant improvements to the accessibility throughout the building; some of the changes
include:

• Incorporating a Changing Places Toilet and updating the existing toilets
• Introducing a ground floor baby change facility
• Improving how people enter the centre
• Reducing narrow corridors and opening up spaces
• Improving wayfinding for better navigation around the building
• Integrating acoustic improvements and technology to support hearing aid users
• Creating the number of hireable private spaces

Building systems

You said: The building’s systems, from temperature control to the toilet facilities, need upgrading.

We did: We’re upgrading the building’s mechanical systems to create a more comfortable environment for everyone.

As part of this, we are:

• Refurbishing and replacing windows
• Upgrading roof insulation
• Installing new solar panels
• Replacing air-conditioning units
• Replacing the boilers
• Refurbishing the toilets and installing new fixtures and fittings

Street presence

You said: The building lacks street presence and is not easily identifiable as an open and welcoming community building from the street.

We did: We are bringing the café area to the front of the building so it’s easier to see and feels more inviting. We have also created a welcoming and more visible combined reception and entrance lobby, with clear signage and improved the landscaping outside – making it more welcoming for everyone.

Entrance and reception

You said: The reception area needs better visibility and should be closer to the main entrance.

We did: We are bringing the reception forward, making it the first thing you see when entering the building. The reception will also overlook the café and social space, improving visibility and security.

More flexible spaces

You said: The centre needs more spaces for activities and flexible spaces

We did: We’ve redesigned the downstairs café and social area so it can be easily partitioned and zoned. We’re also adding more community/meeting rooms to the building - creating more flexible spaces for more groups to use the centre at the same time.

Toilets

You said: The toilets needed improving

We did: We are upgrading the toilets on both the ground and first floors. We’re also adding a fully accessible changing places toilet and dedicated baby changing facilities - to make the space more inclusive, accessible and family-friendly.