A PUBLIC meeting was held to discuss plans to transform a former Edgeside pub into a youth centre last week.
Residents were invited to St Anne’s CE Church last Wednesday to air their views about a proposal to convert the empty building on Edgeside Lane.
It has been formulated by Ignite – a youth group based out of the church.
The Rev Rod Bevan said: ‘We put out our case and there were some residents who were very supportive of the scheme and others who were against it.
‘Even those who did not want anything at the White Horse thought it was a good project.’
The proposed youth facility would provide a whole range of services and activities including a homework club, internet cafe, arts and media projects, life skills courses, initiatives dealing with drugs and alcohol and a safe place where young people can relax.
Mr Bevan added: ‘We are trying to find the funding for the White Horse project and are in discussions with a number of potential suitors at the moment. We are also continuing to do small scale fund-raising.
‘We have already got £13,000 on funding from East Lancashire PCT and have raised about £5,000 from the local area itself. We have also had a meeting with Lancashire County Developments Limited to see if they can help us with the business side of the project.’
But resident Iain Taylor, of Edgeside Lane, said that there is no desire among local residents for a youth centre to be built at the former pub, which has been closed for the past 18 months.
He said: ‘If the council feels that there is a community need for such a facility then I would like to know what other locations have been considered and why a location on a quiet residential street is preferred.
Mr Taylor added: ‘I have no problem with the interest in providing good facilities for young people, but they need to be close to complimentary facilities and not on a quiet residential street.
‘It is clear that many people using the centre will need to be driven there and this will have a significant impact on parking and issues of access already prevalent on Edgeside Lane.’
A planning application to change the building’s use was submitted in June. It may be considered by the council‘s Development Control committee in September.
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mell t, edgeside waterfoot (30/07/2008 at 10:38)
secondly it will be acssed by the many local kids in the area from newchurch right up to water, and as many of these kids walk the streets at night the comment on parking is rubbish rhe people using trhis facility do not drive so how an it cause a parking issue. there are plenty of youths on edgeside alone to make full use of this facility. The people who are opposed to this would not object if they had groups of teenagers hanging round outside their houses at night and causing damage to their property, also if they had teenage children they would not object. anything that helps encourage our ypouth away from hanging round the streets in rival gangs is a good thing especialy in a society that is becoming more violent, and which gang ulture and knife attaks is on the rise. people need to stop being so selfish and statyr to look at how facilities like this would benefit the community as a whole and especaily our youngsters, instead of thinking of themselves. things are a lot different now from whem they were young, The streets arre a lot more dangerous a place to be and surely everyone wants our children to be safe from violence and pedafilism that is associated with hanging round on the streets