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NC&YC - Pre-Opening Article
| Published: 11th March 2009 14:30 |
Article originally published on 23rd September 2008.
The brand new Neston Resource Centre in Burton Road is almost complete.
Our Visit
Due to open fully by the end of October 08, building work is all but complete, with furnishings and electronic equipment all due to be installed in the next couple of weeks.
I was very fortunate to be given a tour by newly-appointed Centre Manager Helen Barrie, along with EPNBC Architect Kieron O'Mahoney who is justifiably proud of the building.
The first thing that strikes you is how light and bright the entire complex is, with high ceilings and plenty of windows both to the outside and in between the various meeting spaces, augmented by the imaginative use of "sun pipes" in addition to the normal ambient lighting. The sun pipes capture natural light on the roof and channel it into the building via a tube.
At the entrance to the building there is an "overhang" which will allow for outdoor seating to be provided during the milder months. Going through the wide, electronic glass doors to the reception area, the openness of this space is immediately apparent. There are no glass barriers between the public coming in and the staff behind the counter.
"The lack of glass barriers encourages community spirit by providing a welcoming feel," said architect Kieron. He went on to highlight the eco-friendly features and local-sourcing policy:
"All the materials and furnishings have been sourced from within England. The building is completely insulated - it is constructed from huge timber panels made off-site and craned into place where they have been bolted together a bit like a Meccano set.
"As part of Building Regulations an Air Test was applied, which entails the entire building being pumped full of air and the speed at which it escapes being monitored. The building scored extremely high on this. All the windows are thermally "broken" which means there is no pathway for warm air to leak out."
In addition, underfloor heating has been installed which is extremely cost-effective, and Passive Infra-Red Detectors are in place throughout the building which means that lights only activate while rooms are occupied - automatically switching off within a few minutes of the room being vacated.
At the front of the Centre there are two meeting rooms, which are expected to be used for small meetings and interviews. Moving on to the main body of the building, there is a long, wide corridor off which there are three Learning Rooms, an IT suite and the all-important Youth Zone which has it's own kitchenette and large storage cupboard to house the snooker & table-tennis tables alongside the array of game-playing consoles and other electronic equipment that will be used in the space.
Both the Youth Zone and Learning Room 1 have hard floors, to facilitate the more physical activities envisaged for these areas. The other Learning Rooms and the IT suite are fully carpeted.
The furnishings being brought in will all be multi-use, being flexible and stow-able, so whether a room is being used for a meeting, conference, learning experience or Tai Chi club, the space can be adapted accordingly.
It is also reassuring to note that particular regard has been given to security, with numerous CCTV cameras already in place, and further measures to be implemented ahead of the official opening.
The building is elegant, light and airy, and the clever use of space to create a diverse range of rooms has truly delivered to Neston a Resource Centre to be proud of.
Over the next few weeks details will start to be published of the activities that will be available at the centre, including the Youth Services programme. There has been tremendous interest already from various local clubs and organisations to utilise meeting spaces, and West Cheshire College will be kitting out the IT suite and running various adult learning courses within the Centre.
AboutMyArea will be making all information available, so please check back regularly for updates. Meanwhile, please see below for some information on how the Centre came into being.
The Background
The land in Burton Road was originally donated to a trust in the 1960's to be used for services to young people under the age of 21. It had been difficult to maintain the youth club in recent years and it had to be demolished, leaving Neston without a dedicated centre for young people or for youth work.
Since closure of the youth club, research by the Neston Market Town Initiative revealed the need for this facility as it was realised that there was no local access to information and advice services including post-school and adult careers, education services, Citizens Advice Bureau services and no space for young people to meet up on a regular basis. In response to this research the council prepared plans for a new centre.
The project is a partnership between the borough council, the youth club, Neston Market Town Initiative and the North West Development Agency, with additional funding from Project Rural Matters. The site owned by the youth club will be leased to the council with Neston Community Youth Centre Ltd running the centre.
The Centre includes a youth zone and provides a meeting place for the wider community. It will house an adult learning zone which will be used for NVQs, back to work training and more, as well as a range of support and advice services.
Contact
Rooms can be hired from October 14th onwards.
For further information, please contact Helen Barrie on 0151 336 7805, email: info@nestoncyc.co.uk
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