New community centre pledged after six-year wait

The old Bookham Youth Centre closed in 2019

A village has been promised a new community centre, six years after a former facility closed after falling into disrepair.

Surrey County Council agreed on Wednesday to replace the old Bookham Youth Centre, near Leatherhead, with a multi-purpose building.

Councillors have committed £2.8m of existing capital funds to replace the old building which closed in 2019, with hopes the new site will be ready by March 2027, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Clare Curran, Conservative councillor for Bookham and Fetcham West, said that there had been a "few false dawns" along the way.

Plans for a new building on the Lower Road reception ground, unveiled in 2021, were scrapped after tougher planning rules on green belt land made the scheme unviable.

Ms Curran said: "There is real excitement in Bookham that a new centre is going to be delivered.

"This is not just a youth facility. The former centre was used by a huge range of community users."

The new facility would replace the former youth centre, The Bridge in Leatherhead - which closed after RAAC was found in the roof - and the Bookham Family Centre.

The day-to-day running of the centre is expected to be handed to a third-party provider, the council have said.

Housing that was meant to come alongside the scheme has been delayed, with no decision expected to be made until after 2027.

The plans remain subject to public consultation.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.