High street funds to be switched to youth centre

The youth centre is set to be built on the site of a car park in Crewe

More funding is set to be put towards a new youth centre in Crewe with the cash coming from money earmarked for another project in the town.

Cheshire East Council is set to sign off plans to take some of the funds allocated for high street improvements and use them towards a proposed new youth zone instead.

Crewe was granted £22.9m from the government's Towns Fund for a number of projects including pocket parks, active travel routes and the new youth zone.

The plans are set to be discussed at a meeting on Tuesday.

Under the proposals to the economy and growth committee, the council is set to reduce the grant given to the "repurposing our high streets" project.

This scheme includes grants for businesses to take on empty properties in the town centre as well as funding to improve the look of vacant sites.

The budget for this is set to be reduced from £1.4m to £1.1m.

Meanwhile, the allocation for the Crewe Youth Zone will be increased from £2.6m to £2.9m.

Extra funds will also be provided for a pocket parks project.

In the report, council officers said the costs of the youth zone had increased “principally because of delays”.

It also said the timing of the decision was “critical” to the plans as operator OnSide Youth Zones had “indicated it has exhausted other opportunities for funding the balance of the capital cost of construction”.

The council also provided funding for the project and there was a donation from a trust formed by the grandson of the Tetra Pak pioneer.