New £10m Peterborough youth zone on cards for young people

If the youth zone proposal moves forward, a planning application for the centre is expected next year

A charity says it hopes to create a £10m "youth zone" for young people in Peterborough.

OnSide has already opened 14 youth zones elsewhere in the UK including sports halls, climbing walls, recording studios and art facilities.

Peterborough City Council's cabinet said it supported the youth zone idea and officers were now looking for sites.

If the idea moves forward, a planning application could be lodged next year.

OnSide said it was keen to create a youth zone in the city due to its size and because it had significant areas of deprivation which meant such a facility could make a significant impact in people's lives.

No location has yet been chosen but those involved said a site near the city centre was needed, which would cost about £1.3m a year to run.

It would be funded by a mix of council money, private-sector and philanthropic partnership funding.

If the idea moves ahead, a planning application for the centre is expected next year and the youth zone could open in 2026.

Jamie Masraff, chief executive of the charity OnSide, said the project would encourage young people to come and pick an activity, do something fun and develop their passions and their confidence.

Jamie Masraff, chief executive of the charity OnSide, said young people today were experiencing "the most challenging environment" to grow up in with the pandemic followed by a cost of living crisis.

"There are just not the safe, affordable and supportive spaces for young people to go to unless they have parents who can afford it," he said.

Speaking about the proposed youth zone, Mr Masraff said it would be a "youth centre the way young would dream of them being - with music recording studios, art rooms, media suites, sports halls, a climbing wall and more".

He added: "They are about engaging and encouraging young people to come and pick an activity and do something fun and develop their passions and their confidence."

If approved, a new local charity called Peterborough Youth Zone would be formed to run the project.

A council spokesperson said: "We are still very much committed to bringing a youth zone to Peterborough.

"We are currently developing a strategic outline business case and outline planning application with our partners OnSide.

"We are not at the stage where we can talk about any specific sites but we are actively looking for funding opportunities to make this exciting vision a reality for young people in Peterborough."