Plans for Prudhoe Youth and Community Facility get funding boost
14 Feb 2024
Proposals for a new youth and community facility on the former site of Prudhoe East Centre in the town have received a welcome £42,000 funding boost.
It follows a visit by County Council Leader Glen Sanderson, Councillor Gordon Stewart, Member for Prudhoe South, Prudhoe Town Council Mayor Bryan Futers and Caroline Warburton, Chair of Prudhoe Community Partnership (PCP).
The Partnership is proposing that a new youth and community facility is developed on the site of the former East Centre in the town at the end of Front Street, Prudhoe.
Northumberland County Council and Prudhoe Town Council are supporting £42,000 feasibility work for this new project in partnership with Prudhoe Community Partnership.
The County Council is providing £27,000 and Prudhoe Town Council is putting forward £15,000 to help with the project’s development.
The new facility could breathe new life into the site providing a new home for youth and community activities in the town, complementing existing activities elsewhere and providing a home for a number of groups in the town.
Extensive engagement and consultation have already taken place exploring the benefits of such a project to the town. The project is also considering whether housing or retail could form part of the project adding value to the existing offer on the Front Street.
A key part of the project is considering how the site’s important heritage can be reflected in the design. Many residents of Prudhoe will have fond memories of Prudhoe East Centre and the history of the buildings goes back to 1825. The site was once a school and the buildings became a youth centre and the home of Prudhoe Open Door until its closure in January 2017.
Seeking to maximise the rich heritage of the site, although much of the site is not suitable for redevelopment some prominent features and part of an existing building could be retained and repurposed as part of the scheme. The scheme will compliment neighbours in the area who will continue to be fully engaged as the proposals are developed.
Further feasibility work will be taking place with engagement and consultation to ensure local people have their say on the proposals. This will support applications to potential funders to enable delivery.
Cllr Glen Sanderson, Leader of Northumberland County Council said: “I really enjoyed visiting Prudhoe again and meeting some brilliant local people who are working so hard to regenerate the East Centre site.
“I am sure that between us all we will see real progress on this very important site taking place very soon and the County Council is full square behind this.”
The funding comes on the back of ongoing investment in the town most recently the announcement of £1.5m investment in Waterworld to improve leisure facilities.
In the coming months there will be further news about investment as the Borderlands Place Programme is developed in Prudhoe, from which new projects in seven towns across the county are set to benefit.
Cllr Gordon Stewart, County Councillor for Prudhoe South said: “I know how important this site is to local people given its prominent position in the town. There has been some excellent thinking already to develop a new project on the site for young people and wider community use.
"This announcement means we can work with confidence in collaboration with Prudhoe Community Partnership, Prudhoe Town Council and all stakeholders in the town to fully test the viability and deliverability of a new scheme on the site.
“Our common goal is to develop a deliverable scheme which capitalises on the site’s rich heritage and finds a new sense of purpose serving our young people and the wider community and boosting our main street for many years to come.”
Cllr Bryan Futers, Mayor of Prudhoe Town Council said: “Like many in the town, we were sad to see the previous facilities close back in 2017 as we know local young people valued the East Centre and the rich heritage of the site going back generations is important to local people.
“We are therefore pleased to announce our financial support to the Community Partnership alongside the County Council in support of their endeavours to finalise a Feasibility Study for the future development of the East Centre.
“In doing so we hope the site can be redeveloped for the future benefit of the residents of Prudhoe to enjoy.”
Caroline Warburton, Chair of PCP said: “We’ve already spent a lot of time developing our proposals including extensive engagement with the community and potential users of a new facility for the community and particularly young people to enjoy.
“Thanks to everyone’s input to date we now feel we have a great project proposal to take forward alongside the other assets the Partnership manages in the town for everyone’s benefit, including the popular Spetchells Centre and Prudhoe Community Hub.
“The news of this funding will help us to move to the next stage of developing this project in readiness to secure capital funding for project delivery. We appreciate both the County and Town Council’s support and are looking forward to working together on this exciting new project for the town during 2024 and beyond.”