Hope for at-risk youth centre and library in Eye

Eye's Youth Centre and Library would need renovation grants and qualified youth workers to secure its future

A community centre and library could remain open in spite of plans to sell the building.

Keeping the Eye Youth Centre and Library operating has been deemed a "priority" by a Peterborough councillor.

If government grant money can be found, the centre may be refurbished and stay open, but it is not guaranteed.

More than 1,500 people have signed a petition against the sell-off, as the city council looks to save money.

Peterborough City Council (PCC) has drawn up a list of 28 community centres, libraries and leisure facilities it may repurpose or sell to save cash.

The initial recommendation was for Eye to be sold "for investment in Manor Farm Community Centre to enhance capacity and to enable services to relocate within the village".

However, cabinet agreed on Monday to change the wording of recommendations for the centre and library in its assets review documents.

Council leader Mohammed Farooq said "moving will definitely become plan B if we have the funding", and "if we have grants available, we'll do it up".

'Poorly maintained'

Dale McKean, who began the petition to keep the Eye site open, said it was "good that the council has recognised there's a plan A and a plan B".

But he said the "key thing" was to apply for grants to help bring the site up to standard.

"I've had a couple of discussions with the council's estate managers with regards to what's needed to renovate the youth centre and library in Eye and, if plan B was to happen, what would be needed to facilitate the youth clubs and Brownies and Guides and library elsewhere," Mr McKean said.

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His partner Lilian Muxlow, who has helped run youth clubs at Eye for 40 years, said the historic community centre had been "poorly maintained for many years".

Built in 1855, Mr McKean told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the building had poor ventilation and heating, with single-glazed windows painted shut.

It would need renovation grants as well as more qualified youth workers to secure its future.

The plans have been discussed at Peterborough City Council

Councillor John Howard, who represents Hargate and Hempsted, said keeping it open was the council's "priority".

He said: "We're still looking at both options, because ultimately we must make sure we make the best decision on the best provision - and if that ends up being proven to be the other space, then we shouldn't rule that out completely.

"But, with the leader's backing, the preference will be to look at plan A."