New state-of-the-art village hall built with HS2 funds is opened in Burton Green

A new state-of-the art village hall built with funding from HS2 has been opened in the Warwickshire village where residents had protested strongly against the high-speed rail line.

Since 2014, HS2 has been working with residents to design and build the brand new facility in Burton Green.

Key features of the new building – which was built by Coventry-based Deeley Construction and designed by Dave Benn and John Viner of VB architects - include an expansive main hall complete with exposed wooden beams, a professional kitchen, outdoor barbecue area, reception, and office space.

The site also has a car park with electric vehicle charging ports and a bicycle rack.

The hall’s trustees also plan to install a water butt to conserve rainwater, which they will used to maintain the site’s grounds.

The building also features a series of stained-glass windows produced by local artist Vicki Aizlewood, influenced by drawings from children at Burton Green C of E Primary School.

The windows depict the past, present and future of the nearby Greenway, with the final scene showing the re-established country park with a HS2 train running underneath.

Cheryl Wall, Chair of the Burton Green Village Hall Trustees, said: “It’s just over 100 years since the first village hall opened in Burton Green and 40 since the current building was constructed, both of which were conceived, funded and managed by enthusiastic community-minded volunteers.

“Campaigning for and delivering a new facility that builds on and enhances that legacy has been a long and challenging journey.

"We are delighted with the end result and believe the hall is a first-class facility of which the whole community can be proud."

The new facility has panoramic views of the Burton Green Tunnel, which is currently under construction by HS2 contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI

To build the 700-metre ‘green tunnel’, a cutting has been created along the line of the existing Burton Green and Kenilworth Greenway.

Construction of the tunnel is well underway.

HS2 has created a temporary Greenway that currently runs alongside the new hall.

Once construction is complete, the Greenway will be restored close to its original alignment, running across the top of the new tunnel, providing a link from Burton Green to Kenilworth and Berkswell for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders.

Alan Payne, senior project manager for HS2 Ltd, said:“Burton Green’s village hall has been almost a decade in the making and highlights the importance of HS2’s continued engagement with the community.

“In another decade’s time, the Burton Green tunnel box will be hidden underground and covered in high quality wildlife habitat, and the hall will still be around to serve as a vital community hub.”

Work on the first stretch of HS2, between London and Birmingham, is 40 per cent complete, with 30,000 people working on it.

But the price-tag of the project, which is the biggest of its kind in Europe, has rocketed from the £33 billion outlined in 2010 to at least £71 billion.

Delays to HS2 are being considered among other options to reduce the rising costs, HS2 Ltd’s CEO Mark Thurston has admitted.