The strategy will be reported to Community Services Scrutiny Committee on 19 January and proposes a range of recommendations for consultation in relation to the council’s facilities.
The emerging proposals are being circulated by the council to seek early views on the approach, before a final strategy is agreed later in the year. The proposals for community centres include:
Developing a new community hub on the site of the existing Meadows Community Centre site in Arbury to provide the services currently offered by The Meadows and the nearby Buchan Street Community Centre, as well as considering potential for other co-located services and an opportunity for housing;
- Improving facilities at Akeman Street or a more suitable redeveloped site nearby
- Exploring opportunities to enhance facilities in King’s Hedges as current provision is restrictive in terms of its size, location and accessibility
- Inviting voluntary sector organisations to consider taking on the management of community centres in some areas, for example Ross Street Community Centre
- Looking into the feasibility of being able to also provide more housing through the redevelopment of council-owned land
- Addressing gaps in the provision of community facilities in Abbey, Cherry Hinton, East Chesterton and Queen Edith’s wards
- Meeting the needs of new communities by helping to provide new community facilities in growing areas of the city such as Clay Farm in Trumpington, and Storey’s Field in North West Cambridge.
Cllr Richard Johnson, Executive Councillor for Communities, said: “The detailed review that we have carried out has revealed that there is a real opportunity to improve services for residents by reviewing what we provide, where and how.
“In the coming months we will work closely with residents, groups and everyone who takes an interest in their community, to ensure that we continue to provide the right services people need to access within their local communities, which support our broader aim of ‘Building Stronger Communities’.
“Our evidence-based approach has highlighted some emerging proposals for the future of the council’s community centre provision, but these are not set in stone, and we will be guided by the responses we receive in the forthcoming consultation.
The report recommends Cllr Johnson approves the development of a consultation process to take place from February, along with additional work on feasibility studies for community centres where changes are proposed.
The council currently owns eight community centres. Five of these are directly managed by the council (The Meadows, Buchan Street, Brown’s Field, Ross Street and 82 Akeman Street) with three managed by local groups (Trumpington Pavilion, 37 Lawrence Way and Nun’s Way Pavilion). Arbury Community Centre is also owned by the council but is leased to Arbury Community Association, a local charity, and so has not been included as a council venue for the purpose of this review.
The report’s findings are based on evidence gathered this year showing the extent of facilities available for community use across Cambridge. The review highlighted 107 community facilities across the city, including Council and non-council community centres, and other facilities with community use such as church and school halls. The report acknowledges the important role of the voluntary sector in the city, which manages the vast majority of these facilities for local groups to access.
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