Example of a world class youth centre - London

Tags: case study | London | Salmon Cenre | youth facilities

The Salmon Youth Centre - Bermondsey, London

The Salmon Youth Centre, known as Salmon, is a Christian-run project that seeks to work with young people of all faiths and none. It is located in Bermondsey, London. Their focus is youth work, an extended youth centre; voluntary activity in the leisure time of young people that helps them move along a pathway from apathy through involvement to engagement.
Salmon has been awarded cash from myplace for a one-year project to complete an extension to the pre-existing youth facility, which will cost just over £1.1 million.

Phase one, built with a combined investment of £10.5m. The initial estimate had been around £3m. It was completed in September 2007 and houses a high quality four court sports hall, climbing wall, theatre, dance studio, music suite, seminar and conference room, internet and social area, volunteers area, staff offices and a rooftop terrace.

The new money will fund a fit-out of the facilities that will be housed in Phase 2. This is a development within which the Hyde Housing Association has “air rights”, that is they will build shared ownership housing in the upper levels of the building. This will include a training kitchen, ICT suite, counselling room, fitness studio, bicycle workshop, drop-in corner shop for providing support and advice services, and a Learning Centre to develop business skills among young people.

The centre is open between 9.00am and 10.00pm on weekdays, and approximately 1.00pm and 8.00pm on weekends.

David Mellis, Senior Development Manager at the Salmon Youth Centre, said: “The myplace grant will enable us to complete our centre. It will have nearly every facility that young people in the area have asked for; sports, arts, training, enterprise, all under one roof.

“Young people need inspiring places to go to with a community that supports them to realise their dreams. The new Salmon Youth Centre will give additional paths to success for young people in this deprived area, especially those who struggle in the school system.”

The Salmon is seen as a key partner in delivering Southwark Council’s Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP), and is identified as a ‘magnet’ youth centre for the north of the borough.

The Salmon Centre can point to significant challenges and issues during their developments. Demolition of the old centre began in 2004 however by 2006, just at the top-out stage, the construction company went bust. Another developer came on board. VAT issues have also dogged the project. After having paid VAT the Salmon gained zero rating but they now face the challenge of getting this money back from HM Revenue and Customs.

Once completed, the Salmon Youth Centre will boast the largest range of dedicated facilities and floor area of any dedicated youth centre in the UK. Project leaders have developed leading practice through investigating and building upon current leading practice in both the UK and in the USA. The Salmon was cited for Best Practice in the government’s 2005 Youth Matters paper and in the 2007 Government Ten-Year Youth Strategy; Aiming High.

68% of young people living in North Southwark, live in social housing – amongst the highest figures in the country. Annually, 1,500 young people enter the criminal justices system and teen pregnancy levels are the second highest in Europe. NEET is at 14%, 5% higher than the national average.

The Salmon expects upwards of 50,000 visits each year and will monitor use through an innovative membership scheme. Young people have been involved in the design process from the start and have been on residential weekends to develop design ideas.

19 Old Jamaica Road
London
SE16 4TE
Tel: 020 7237 3788
Fax: 020 7252 0285
info@salmoncentre.co.uk
www.salmoncentre.co.uk

Salmon Youth Centre Case Study (158.58 kB 2010-07-21 10:02:50)