£9.2m youth centre in Barnsley town centre given green light by planners on site of former electricity depot

The youth zone, which is set to cost an estimated £9.2m, will be built on the site of a former electricity depot, between Schwabisch Gmund Way, Harborough Hill Road and Mottram Street.

Barnsley Youth Zone will run as an independent charity, and will openseven days a week, with activities on offer for young people aged eight to 19.

Barnsley Council will contribute £4.5 million towards construction costs, with ASOS contributing £1.2m to the project as its first corporate sponsor.

A further contribution from the goverment’s levelling up fund will provide an activity park next to the Youth Zone, including a skate park, bike track, new active routes and play spaces.

Youth charity OnSide, which will run the project, say the scheme will create up to 70 jobs.

Access would be taken from Schwäbisch Gmünd Way, occupying part of the existing Network Rail car park.

Barnsley Youth Zone will run as an independent charity, and will openseven days a week, with activities on offer for young people aged eight to 19.

Full planning permission has been granted for a two storey building with floodlit kick pitch on the roof, and outline permission for the erection of a club house café and the formation of an associated activity park.

During today’s planning board meeting, the scheme received cross party support.

Councillor Dave Leech told the meeting that the scheme would be ‘absolutley fantastic for Barnsley,’ and Councillor Dorothy Coates branded the centre ‘a truly inspirational project’.

Councillor David Greenhough added that Barnsley’s youth ‘deserve a site like this,’ which would ‘make use of a site that’s been empty for so long’.

The scheme was approved unanimously.