Plans for a new £5 million youth centre, to be developed
at the heart of the Longbridge regeneration project, have been
given the green light by Birmingham City Council's planning
committee.
The 'myplace' centre will be developed by St. Modwen in
partnership with Birmingham City Council. Designed by
Birmingham-based Associated Architects, the iconic centre will
provide a wide range of innovative and much-needed services to 14
-19 year olds in the Longbridge area. The development of the centre
has been made possible through a Council-secured grant from the
Government's myplace programme; a Big Lottery Fund scheme to invest
in state-of-the-art facilities for young people across the
UK.
Located off Longbridge Lane, the new youth centre will address
the lack of dedicated facilities for young people in the area. The
location of the site was selected for its proximity to the new
£66 million Bournville College campus, Longbridge rail
station and new Longbridge town centre site, maximising its
accessibility.
Construction work for the three-storey building is scheduled to
commence in May 2011, with the duration of the build programme
expected to last one year. The building has been designed to meet a
BREEAM 'Very Good' rating.
Mike Murray, senior development surveyor for St. Modwen, said:
"It is tremendous news that planning permission is in place for the
new Longbridge youth centre. The facility will play an important
part in the long-term social, cultural and economic improvement of
the area, as there is currently no statutory youth provision.
Providing a safe and welcoming environment, the centre will give
young people the opportunity to participate in a range of
activities and enterprise programmes, with the space to socialise
and enjoy new learning experiences in preparation for their future.
In turn it is envisaged that this will have a positive effect on
the ongoing growth and future prosperity of Longbridge."
Councillor Les Lawrence, Cabinet Member for Children, Young
People and Families for Birmingham City Council, said: "This is a
very exciting project and I am delighted that construction work can
now commence. The young people who will be using the centre have
been fully involved in its design and development. This is a
fantastic opportunity for those living in the South-west of the
city and an important cornerstone of regeneration drives for the
Longbridge area. We have had a very successful partnership
with St Modwen to deliver a facility that I am sure will set the
standard for youth centres."
The building will feature multi-functional rooms, performing
arts space, and a theatre/ sports hall/ conference room. It will
also include an ICT suite, media centre, workshop area, outdoor
multi-use games area, café and garden. The facilities will
support a range of sporting activities, creative and performing
arts, active citizenship and volunteering, youth business, social
enterprise, guidance counselling (such as health services),
education, training and career advice.
The myplace centre has been planned in conjunction with
Birmingham City Council Youth Service and the Longbridge myplace
Young Peoples Forum. It will be aligned to Birmingham Youth Service
Development Plan, Birmingham Children and Young People's Plan,
Local Area Agreement indicators both for children and young people,
and the Northfield Constituency Strategic Partnership.
The plans for the new Centre for Young People were developed
following extensive consultation with young people. A Youth Forum
was created to progress the design plans and engender a sense of
ownership from the outset. The Youth Forum brought together
representatives from local schools and youth providers to consult
more widely about the scheme.
The regeneration of Longbridge is a £1 billion project
covering 468 acres and aspires to a total jobs target of 10,000 for
the whole development through a diverse range of industries,
together with a 2,000 new homes, a new town centre for Longbridge
with a range of retail, leisure and public facilities and new parks
and public open spaces.