Blaze-hit community centre to be rebuilt

Thornton Lodge Community Centre in Huddersfield will get improved facilities for child care and wider community use when it is rebuilt, according to a Kirklees Council report.

Following a serious fire at the centre in November 2008, the instance payout was valued at 413,000 which would have paid for a new like-for-like building.

But Kirklees Council sees this as an opportunity to make the centre much better than it was, both in terms of the way it looks and the facilities it offers.

The cost of the project has been estimated at 1,189,000. The money will come from the insurance settlement and Sure Start money of 650,000, with a contribution of 20,000 from a council environment fund and another 25,000 from a housing renewal fund.

A report to the council's Cabinet committee, which meets on Tuesday, says: "The new building has been designed to be secure for users and staff, but also present a welcoming street presence. The inclusion of a biomass boiler will be an asset both in terms of reducing the carbon footprint of the building, but also in the raising of environmental awareness among building users."

Council officers are urging Cabinet members to give their approval for the centre, in Brook Street, Thornton Lodge, to be rebuilt with better facilities.

Local councillors and community representatives have given their support to the plans. Contractors are expected to begin work next month with a completion date of March next year.

The report warns that failure to go ahead with the project will have a "negative impact on the community" and result in a significant gap in services.