Chapeltown Community Centre

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Chapeltown Community Centre

• A short history and a proposal

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History

• The building was sold to the Corporation of Leeds
  by the Congregation of Leeds Jews in 1973.
• It was a thriving centre for nearly 30 years,
  with a variety of schemes for children, young
  people, adults and elders.
• Years of under investment and poor management led
  to it being in a poor state of repair by the mid
  1990s.

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History

• Despite the efforts of the management committee
  to get funding for basic structural improvements,
  the council allowed the building to fall into
  such a state of disrepair that by 2000 it was
  classified as poor by the councils own
  building services department.
• A community action group was formed to raise
  funds to improve the building and the site, but
  the centre was closed a year later by the council
  on health and safety grounds.
• Despite its efforts, the group was not kept
  informed and was not consulted.
• In January 2002, in a letter from Leeds City
  Councils Director of Community Planning and
  Regeneration, the action group was reassured that
  We will not action any work until we have agreed
  collectively how to proceed. A few weeks later,
  without warning, the centre was demolished.

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About the Action Group

• CCCAG was formed by local people as soon as we
  knew that the centre was closing.
• We have worked to establish local needs and
  priorities and to put pressure on the council to
  include the community in discussions over the
  future use of the site.
• Monthly meetings are well-attended by local
  residents, ward councillors and representatives
  from other groups.
• The group has the ongoing support of local MPs,
  Fabian Hamilton and George Mudie.

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Aims of the group

• To support the ongoing sustainable development of
  Chapeltown through the provision of a high
  quality multi-ethnic, multi-generational and
  proactive community centre.
• For the centre to be a not-for-profit,
  financially independent Community Interest
  Company, run by and for the people of Chapeltown.

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The centre will be

• built, owned and managed by the people of
  Chapeltown
• financially sustainable - not dependent on
  fundraising or on the council
• a building we can all be proud of
• a flagship environmentally-friendly building,
  which will require very little energy and
  maintenance, to keep running costs to a minimum.
• a venue for regular training, especially so that
  there is always a pool of skilled people willing
  and able to manage the project

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Why is the centre needed?

• We believe that Chapeltown needs a centre that
  can bring together all the different communities
  here - an inclusive and welcoming centre for
  people of all ages and cultures.

• The centre could
• fulfill many needs which are not met locally at
  the moment.
• help local projects engage with more people by
  providing high quality space for their events and
  activities.
• act as a signpost to other facilities and
  initiatives, helping to sustain all the projects
  and venues in Chapeltown.

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Local peoples ideas for the new centre

• Café, kitchen and bar
• Activities for children and young people and
  before after school clubs
• Facilities for older people
• Hall for big events weddings, carnival, etc
• Leisure and fitness facilities
• Meeting and training space. Films, talks,
  lectures, discussion groups, public meetings
• Neighbourhood action and planning
• Gardens and playgrounds
• Sustainability information
• Womens groups
• Gateway to a network of formal and informal
  learning
• Social space, a place for clubs and groups to
  meet
• Hot desks and support for new businesses and
  projects. Offices for established groups

We have consulted people since 2001 - public
meetings, all day drop-in events, attendance at
community meetings, on-street canvassing and
group work with residents and community projects.
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Our proposal

• We want to use the development of a new centre to
  bring together new ideas and ways of working and
  go way beyond the basic services that were
  provided by the previous centre.
• We want to create something new and exciting for
  Chapeltown.

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The building we want

• Energy efficient, solar-powered, eco-friendly
  building
• Designed for flexibility, both for easy future
  extension and for quick daily modification to
  suit bookings and events.
• Local people involved in the process. Use the
  building process to develop the skills of local
  people.
• Use of eco-friendly paints, varnishes, floors,
  wall coverings, furniture and other materials.
• Employ local artists and craftspeople.

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The building will include

• Roof Roof garden, viewing point, solar energy
  units.
• Top Floor Affordable one and two bedroom flats
  
• 1st Floor Co-location office space open plan
  offices and hot-desks with common facilities and
  integrated services (meeting rooms, photocopier,
  etc.)
• Ground Floor Hall with stage, dance floor and
  partitions, backstage changing area, toilets,
  kitchen, café, bar, reception, exhibition space,
  creative workroom / meeting space, internet
  access point.
• Cellar Storage, rehearsal room, bar cellar and
  pantry, combined heat and power unit.
• Outside Cycle racks, buggy storage, car parking
  and car share pick-up point, herb and flower
  garden, benches, community notice-board,
  adventure playground and toddlers play-space,
  signpost to other resources in Chapeltown,
  covered outdoor social area.
• Throughout high quality furnishings, wi-fi,
  local arts and crafts, exhibitions and lots of
  people working, learning, planning and playing
  together!
• Number will depend on building footprint

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Co-location

• The Community Action Network developed the
  concept of a space that would bring together a
  wide variety of organisations, where new
  relationships could be developed, new
  partnerships formed and ideas turned into
  practical action.
• Co-location provides high quality, cost effective
  and eco-friendly office space, including
  conference and meeting rooms and catering
  facilities. It also fosters shared services and
  facilitates networking the space has been
  designed to maximise opportunities for
  interaction and collaboration, and in particular,
  enables smaller organisations to realise their
  potential, improve their performance and raise
  their profile.
• We believe that this model will provide us with
  the following benefits
• Financial stability for the centre.
• Significant collaboration and partnership
  benefits for Chapeltown.
• A major resource for social and environmental
  enterprise in the area.

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The site should

• be in a prominent and visible location.
• be near the proposed Joint Services Centre. This
  close location to health and council services
  will be an opportunity to develop this area as a
  community hub at the heart of Chapeltown.
• make a positive impact on the look of Chapeltown
  and help to counter negative perceptions of the
  area.
• have greenspace - for outdoor play, community
  growing, celebrations and events and to add to
  the potential of the centre.

The site we really want is on the corner of
Chapeltown Road and Reginald Terrace.
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Where we are now?

• We are ready for a major fundraising effort, and
  have identified a range of funding sources.
• The skills of the committee are being developed.
• Local networking and partnership-building
  continue.
• We continue to gather views and ideas from the
  local community and are planning a
  community-design event before February 2007.
• We continue to offer our views to the development
  of the proposed Joint Services Centre that is
  being developed by Leeds LIFT Ltd.
• The Local Area Team are preparing a report on
  community provision in Chapeltown. We need to
  convince them that a new community centre is
  really needed in the heart of the community.

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Who supports a new community centre?

• Schools, police, local residents and businesses,
  the voluntary and community sector, clubs and
  societies, young people, old people, politicians
  - including all the ward councillors and Fabian
  Hamilton MP. In short, just about everyone we
  have contacted and worked with since the closure
  of the old centre.
• Chapel Allerton Primary School, Community Links,
  Cornerstone Resource Centre, Friends of
  Potternewton Park, Getaway Girls, Granges and
  Hamiltons Tenants and Residents Group, Iftiin
  (Somali welfare group), Invizible Circle, Leeds
  Childrens Fund, Leeds Asylum Seekers Support
  Network, Leeds Black Elders Association, Leeds
  Racial Equality Council, Leeds REACH, Leeds
  Mental Health Advocacy Group, Leeds Involvement
  Project, Leeds Connecting Communities, Leeds
  Permaculture Network, Project 7, Resourcing the
  Community, Roundhay Road Day Centre, SPACE _at_
  Bracken Edge, The Project, Turning Point / Base
  10 / UP project, United Caribbean Association,
  Voluntary Action - Leeds, Vietnamese Elders
  Group, West Indian Centre, West Yorkshire Police,
  Women's Health Matters, Zone 67, with more
  getting involved all the time.

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Our next steps

• Carry out feasibility study and community-design
  event.
• Identify project partners to run activities in
  the centre.
• Finalise the business plan.
• Develop management structure and convert from
  voluntary organisation to a Community Interest
  Company.
• Secure funding for the building and revenue costs
  for the first two years.
• Build centre and hold grand opening celebration!

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We need your involvement

• Write a letter of support.
• Let us know what youd like to see included in
  the centre, or any ideas you have for the
  building.
• Join the Action Group there are loads of things
  to do and things to learn, everyones
  contribution is needed.
• Come to the next meeting on Thursday 12th
  October, 5.30pm at 180 Chapeltown Road.

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Any questions?