News
Chuckery youth centre axed
Plans to build a controversial youth centre have finally been abandoned by Walsall Council. The £450k handout from central government was intended to provide activities for the young people of Chuckery during the evening and particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. But fierce opposition from local residents to the proposed location of the centre has forced Council leaders to think again.
Tory Leader of the Council, Councillor Mike Bird said: “The chances of opening a permanent facility in Chuckery is nil and that is not down to us. We did all we could to find a permanent site but faced opposition at every turn.”
More than 600 residents signed a petition opposed to the use of Chuckery Corner Green and were joined in a public protest by two members of Walsall Cabinet, Tory Councillors Arif and McCracken who represent St Matthews Ward.
A second location was hurriedly indentified but residents and businesses close to the derelict bakery on Holtshill Lane overwhelmingly opposed that proposal leading local MP Bruce George to brand the scheme as “almost criminal.” Following a second petition, the owners of the bakery site, Accord Housing, decided not to sell the land to the Council.
Campaigners have consistently supported the proposal for a youth centre in Chuckery and have suggested a number of alternative sites and strategies but claim that there has been a lack of consultation and an unwillingness to engage with the local community.
Councillor Bird, who represents Pheasey Park Farm has stated: “My conscience will be clear because I have done all I can, it has been other people holding this up and ruining the opportunity for the young people of Walsall.”
The loss of a youth centre in Chuckery will be a disappointment to local Tory Councillor Barry Sanders, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture. When the facility was first announced in March, he said: “There is a great need for a dedicated young people facility in Chuckery and campaigners have been asking for something like this for years, It will be a real boost for young people and the community as a whole and I am delighted that all the campaigning has paid off.”
The Council now intend to use the £450k funding to purchase six buses and equip them with computers, DJ decks and recording studios. Ironically, one of the alternatives suggested by campaigners was to use specially equipped buses that could be used not only in Chuckery but also elsewhere in the borough.
Councillor Bird has stated that £50k has been “wasted” in preparing designs for the two rejected locations for the Chuckery youth centre. It is not clear if this cost will be met by Council Tax payers or be deducted from the Government grant intended to improve the lives of the young people of Chuckery.