Former police station to be converted into youth centre (From Gazette Series)

Former police station in Wotton to be converted into youth centre

8:30am Tuesday 7th February 2012 in Gloucestershire news By Liza-Jane Gillespie

WOTTON-under-Edge looks set to get a new youth centre after plans were given the green light.

The town lost its county council-run youth services last summer when the authority pulled all funding.

Since then volunteers have been running a youth club in the town one night a week at Wotton Baptist Church.

However, community leaders have this week been told that plans to convert the town’s former police station, on The Chipping, into a new youth centre can go ahead.

Cllr June Cordwell, who is heading up the project, said: "This is really exciting. We are now going out to tender on it so we can start the work.

"We hope to have it open by early June. We are raising money. We are looking for donations and grants."

The work is going to cost approximately £73,000. Gloucestershire County Council will be giving Wotton £50,000 from the sale of the former youth centre on Rope Walk, which the authority closed last June.

The building, which is owned by the Wotton Town Trust and was leased to Gloucestershire Police as a station, needs walls taking down, a new roof, new windows, insulation and trees felling.

Fortunately play equipment was allowed to be taken from the old youth centre before it was closed and has been put into storage until a new centre is ready.

Cllr Cordwell said the challenge now was to secure further funding to complete the work, as well as funding for a youth worker and building maintenance in the long term.

"The town is going to have to pay for a youth worker and the running of the building," she said.

Stroud District Council has already given a £1,000 grant for a development worker, who would be shared with the South of Stroud Youth Partnership, a joint committee with representatives from Dursley, Cam, and Berkeley, to help co-ordinate youth services in the area.

Anyone wanting to help or make a donation to the youth centre project should contact Cllr June Cordwell on 01453 842439 or email cllr.june.cordwell@stroud.gov.uk