| At its meeting on 27 January 2017, the Bishop’s Council was briefed on a number of emerging pressures on the Diocesan Office and the Retreat Centre at Bishop Woodford House in Ely. These pressures have arisen because: There has been a substantial increase in the number of officers employed by the Diocese of Ely Multi Academy Trust (DEMAT) in response to the growing number of academies managed by the Trust. Though DEMAT is financially independent of the Diocese there is a strong operational requirement for DEMAT officers to be co-located with other Diocesan staff. As we begin to implement our ELY2025 growth strategy, there is a significant increase in demand for training and meeting spaces at Bishop Woodford House which the current accommodation is not configured to meet. Such meeting spaces that we currently have are fully booked; they are also cramped and uncomfortable. The buildings themselves are reaching the end of their useful life and will need significant additional maintenance over the coming years (they were erected in 1972 with a planned life of 25 years!). The infrastructure (IT, telephone, services) are equally stretched. The Council has asked me to invite comment from stakeholders from across the Diocese on the future use of the Barton Road site and its possible redevelopment. If you have views, we should like to know them. Please visit the link below to send us your feedback. If you have any difficulty completing the online survey, please email the Communications team for help on communications@elydiocese.org. Click Here – https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JJ3Z68R Please note the survey will close at 5pm on Friday the 7th July. Paul Evans
Diocesan Secretary, Diocese of Ely David Thomson | May 18, 2017 at 3:41 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/poSLL-3oe | 