A plan to expand a youth club to allow more young people to join has been given approval by Onchan Commissioners.
Kenyon’s currently operates in The Hub, a building owned by the local authority, and last night the board agreed to redesign the building and allocate funding towards the project.
It’s estimated to cost the commissioners £25,000 from its reserves but could see nearly 60 children able to join the club – double the amount currently allowed.
Permission Granted
A proposal was put forward that if quotes received are 20 percent more than the initial budget, the plan will go back to the board for reapproval.
Chair of the board Zara Lewin says it’s a facility she hopes the community will continue to support:
The new plans will see the removal of an internal wall from a meeting room and a new corridor formed, with new fire doors built into the building.
Trustee of the club Martin Macfarlane says he has been working on plans to extend the facility since last November and is pleased there is now a ‘direction’.
Youth Club
On a Friday evenings, its busiest time, he believes between 40 and 60 young people attend the club.
He says the most ‘important’ aspect is youngsters in the village want to engage with the service and by expanding he hopes more will be able to join:
The commissioners are looking to fund expansion from its reserves which was confirmed during its meeting to be at £1 million – £250k over the recommended amount for local authorities set by the Department of Infrastructure.
A few of the young people were at the commissioners public meeting where the debate took place, and this attendee said the club means a lot to her:
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