A Blackpool youth hub is to be bulldozed to make way for investment of £1.7m in new facilities for young people in one of the poorest areas of the town. Council permission has been granted to demolish the Talbot and Brunswick Youth Club and Sports Barn on Victory Road.
The work will enable redevelopment of the site, operated by charity Blackpool Boys and Girls Club, which has been earmarked for redevelopment. It was announced in August that Blackpool had been awarded £1.7m from the government’s Youth Investment Fund towards building a larger youth club on the land.
The existing buildings are made up of a two-storey open steel framed sports barn with a corrugated metal roof and skylights and a single-storey prefabricated building.
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Contractors will now be appointed to dismantle the buildings in readiness for redevelopment. It is hoped work will be completed by autumn 2024 to provide more space for youth work plus a games room, space for sports, a kitchen area and the opportunity to develop an e-sports area.
The project received funding after a joint application was made by the council and the Blackpool Boys and Girls Club. At the time of the scheme being announced, Fiona Valentine, Blackpool Boys and Girls Club chair, said : “This funding will allow us to build a new, state-of-the-art building that will provide our young people with the facilities they need to thrive.”
The site is within one of the most deprived wards in Blackpool, and it is hoped the investment will provide an even wider programme of activities for young people.
