Sheffield Wednesday Football Club (SWFC) has submitted plans to build a new community complex costing £7 million.
The commercial property in Sheffield is designed to give the local community a place where people can socialise, and hopefully stay off the streets. This is in line with a strategy implemented by the Sheffield Wednesday Community Programme to encourage education, health, job creation, participation, social inclusion, and sport, which is designed to help combat anti-social behaviour.
The complex will boast indoor and outdoor football pitches, as well as a kid’s zone, classrooms for learning, ancillary accommodation, a healthcare centre and a pharmacy.
Speaking of the commercial property, Simon Torr, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Community Programme, and Chief Superintendent of Sheffield Police, stated: “This facility will be a superb asset to Sheffield. It will help young people develop both socially and emotionally, aid vital communication skills and improve self esteem, which in turn increases resilience, thus avoiding risks such as experimentation with drugs or involvement in crime.
“The primary aim centres on involvement in positive activities, leading to a reduction in anti-social behaviour and gang-related actions. In addition, the facility will provide alternative educational programmes designed to re-engage young people back into mainstream learning whilst maximising vocational opportunities.”
The area in Sheffield where the commercial property is planned to be built is an ex-industrial site near the football stadium in Hillsborough.
The architects behind the community centre, Axis Architecture, expressed their pleasure at working on the project: “We are delighted to be assisting the SWFC Community Programme with their vision of a facility that we believe is without precedent in the UK.
“Axis Architecture is passionate about incorporating low-energy features and renewable technologies into the facility so it can stand firmly as a flagship for sustainable development and community-driven regeneration.”
If the plans are accepted by Sheffield City Council, the centre should be open by spring 2013.
Do you think the community centre will benefit young people and keep them off the streets, or will it become another vacant commercial property in the next few years?
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