As most local residents will be aware, Walkden Library moved to the new Gateway building a couple of months ago. I said at the time that the site should be re-used for community facilities – the Youth Service has always been interested in the building – but the Council seemed determined to sell the site for development and the “for sale” signs appeared shortly afterwards.
We are now two months on and the site is still empty. The Council have now boarded the entire building up with wooden hoardings and it looks absolutely horrendous.
It is already a prime site for anti-social behaviour – there have been numerous sightings in the last week or two of youths on the roof or trying to break in – and if action is not taken soon we run the risk of (at best) more anti-social behaviour and (at worst) the building being torched.
The Council must now look at recommissioning this building as quickly as possible. I know that the Youth Service are interested in using it, and that this has widespread support.
The current site is both a considerable eyesore and a potential danger to both the public and to our emergency services who would have to deal with any incident at the library site. A decision must be taken quickly to bring the site back into community use before a serious incident occurs.
It would be useful to have this discussion in Walkden but I am not convinced that it would fulfil a need amongst local youngsters that is not at other venues.
As ever your enthusiasm needs to be tempered with an acknowledgment that the cost of running such a building is enormous.
Having seen the new library I bet that costs much much more to house at the Gateway than it ever did on Memorial Road and we will have to see if it will have more people through its doors.
I think there are two issues here Aled.
The first is that the Council have now created a site which is both a horrendous eyesore, a new anti-social behaviour hotspot and a huge arson risk. That needs sorting out regardless of what then happens to the site. I’m appalled that the site has been left in this state (since the photo above was taken yesterday *even more* boards have been added) and I will continue to raise this issue until it is sorted.
The second issue is the future use of the site. The Youth Service expressed an interest in the library site some years ago. There is Government money available for new youth provision “in each constituency” – Walkden South (together with Worsley) is one of the few areas in the City with no dedicated youth centre. Of course the fine print needs to be studied but this is huge opportunity and it should be looked into and not dismissed with a wave of the hand.
Incidentally I am intrigued as to what these “other venues” are – other than the Pool the leisure and recreation facilities for young people in Walkden South and the surrounding areas is limited or non-existent.
I think the local residents might well be slightly underwhelmed at the thought of the old library becoming a Youth Centre. Other uses are a bit of a problem though, as there is very little parking around there.
If you can get me a reasonable rent, we could turn it into a table tennis centre though
The residents I’ve spoken to on Memorial Road and adjacent streets are all happy with the suggestion.
Iain
I was thinking of the Congregational Church building which has been used by Youth Workers in the past and which is still available I am sure. There is also Memorial Road Church. I understand that the Facility at St Paul’s Church is no longer used for youth work – which I think was because of a lack of demand.
I think it would be a great idea to turn it into a youth centre and help avoid having youths hanging around Walkden center in the evenings simply because they have nothing better to do. I hope you’re successful in your endeavour.