Berwick charity set to withdraw from youth housing project

According to the charity, it had been given a deadline of December 31, 2023, to find the necessary additional funding for the scheme, but by July 25, the local authority had reviewed its decision and instead asked it to re-apply to the Community Led Housing Fund – it previously had an allocation of £400,000 lined up.

The council has said it was a “provisional offer” and it has been withdrawn “due to the length of time that has elapsed since the original application”.

However, following the charity’s announcement earlier this week, council leader Glen Sanderson and officers have arranged a meeting with its key personnel to see if a way forward can be found.

Berwick Youth Project received planning permission earlier this year to create nine new flats for young people, as well as a new house and workshop block, on the site of the town’s former community centre and grammar school on Palace Street East.

It has said that the proposed development is expected to cost at least £1.2million.

As part of the announcement, project manager John Bell said: “Our relationship with the former community centre on Palace Street East started in February 2015, when the county council announced it was going to close it, and since then we’ve had to overcome a succession of delays and obstacles over more than eight years.

“It was May 2020 when we finally got the keys, but by then it was badly vandalised and in a terrible state of repair.

“We submitted our planning application in June 2021 and it was March this year when it was finally passed, with 48 different conditions which had to be met before we could finalise the design and get the project out to tender.

“Our architect, Ninette Edwards, did a fantastic job of dealing with all of these conditions, and on July 21 we’d finally met all of the criteria needed to get our listed building consent and planning permission. This was a huge step in the right direction and we were fully expecting to accelerate the development.

“But only four days later, the funding we were relying upon was pulled, with the council citing that it had to be opened up to other organisations to apply for.

“We knew that it was going to be tough to find the shortfall between now and the end of the year, but this decision has made it impossible.”

The announcement also said that the charity has decided to ‘move the property on at the earliest opportunity’ in the hope that another developer can bring the building to life again.

Simon Landels, chair of the trustees, said: “We’re obviously hoping to recoup some of the outlay that we’ve made in getting this far and any proceeds will of course be applied to our work in supporting young people in the Berwick area.”

Berwick Youth Project was established in 1995, moving to purpose-built premises in Golden Square in 2001.

An important part of its current function is Supported Accommodation and since 1997, more than 270 local young people have been directly accommodated by the charity.

A statement by Northumberland County Council says leader Glen Sanderson and council officers have set-up an urgent meeting with the charity’s manager and trustees “to see if we can work together to find a way forward”.

It adds: “There are several issues around the Berwick Youth Project which are not straightforward.

“Berwick Youth Project received a provisional offer for £400,000 of funding back in November 2021 which was subject to certain conditions, some of which have not been met.

“We are now well over a year past the provisional offer deadline of February 2022.

“In the meantime, because this large sum of money has been sitting in reserve, we have been unable to support other community-led housing schemes throughout the county.

“While progress has been made at Berwick, the scheme is still a long way from going ahead. Due to the length of time that has elapsed since the original application, regrettably the provisional offer has been withdrawn.

“Berwick Youth Project can certainly re-apply for any funds still available, when they have the updated information and costs that have previously been requested.

“We have also informed them we are happy to issue a letter of support to any funding bodies that they approach to help with accessing additional funds for the project.”