Young people asked about the future of Twickenham youth provision (Twickenham & Richmond Liberal Democrats)

Young people asked about the future of Twickenham youth provision

January 8, 2012 11:43 AM

heatham • [Jan 06]: YOUNG people in the borough are being asked about the future provision of youth services in Twickenham following the sale of the Royal Mail sorting office site. Earlier this year, Cllr Christine Percival, Richmond Council's Cabinet Member for Education, Youth and Children's Services made the commitment that should an opportunity arise for a new Youth Centre in the area, all young people would be asked if they wanted a new facility.

St James, part of the Berkeley Group, has purchased the former sorting office site. Following discussions with the Council, St James has agreed to investigate the provision of new facilities as part of wider mixed use development proposals (comprising uses such as commercial, retail, café and residential), bringing forward the possibility of a new Youth Centre as part of the proposed development.

The current service is based at Heatham House, a Grade II listed property that has high maintenance costs and is in regular need of repair. It is also not fully accessible for young people with disabilities and following a number of feasibility studies, none of the options identified a feasible way of making the overall facility compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act.

Over a four week period, Council Youth Services will consult young people within primary and secondary schools, youth centres and high streets, to carry out a borough-wide consultation with young people. The consultation will also be available online. They will be presenting three options for young people to consider:

• Option one is a new youth centre based at the front of the former sorting office site, opposite the train station. This option would occupy part of a new building and would retain the current outdoor sports facilities that lie alongside Heatham House on the south side of the River Crane.

• Option two is a new stand alone youth centre located at the rear of the site, with entirely new sports facilities adjacent. Both option one and two would be like for like in terms of properly useable and useful floor area as is currently available at Heatham House.

• Option three in the consultation is the retention of the existing facility at Heatham House.

Cllr Christine Percival said: "Heatham House is a lovely old building but it is a very expensive facility, costing nearly £80k a year in maintenance costs alone. It is also in need of significant specialist repair work that in the current financial climate, simply does not make sense. The building is also not fully DDA compliant and is restricted in what it can offer to young people with disabilities.

"We have always said that should the opportunity for a purpose-built facility arise, we would carry out a full consultation with the users of today, and most importantly the users of tomorrow as to how this could work. As this development will not be built for some time, many of the current users will have moved on by then. It is important therefore that we capture the thoughts of younger people in the whole community as well.

"We won't have another opportunity like this again. St James' has suggested two options that could provide a better youth facility that would be modern, cost efficient, inclusive, accessible for all and fit for purpose - providing services and activities that young people want and need. If selected, the company proposes to work closely with young people on the detail of the building to create a youth centre design with the local community as part of a wider mixed use scheme.

"Young people are being given a unique opportunity to weigh up all the options and I urge them to think carefully about what could be provided for the young people of Twickenham and not just about an emotional attachment to Heatham House . We will listen to what they say and their choices will inform our decisions."

The consultation will run from 16 January 2012 until 26 February 2012. More information will be available on http://www.richmond.gov.uk/council_consultations from 16 January. St James intends to undertake a wider community consultation on the redevelopment of the former Royal Mail site in Spring 2012.

• Young people asked about the future of Twickenham youth provision [Press release Jan 06]

• Friends of Heatham House