YOUNG people in Petersfield could finally have a place to call their own, with the announcement of plans for a new £4m youth club. The Festival for Young People, the group behind plans for an improved skatepark at Love Lane, announced their youth centre proposals this week. Nigel Wells, of the Festival for Young People, said: "The young people of Petersfield have been saying for a long time that there is little for them to do in the town and they have nowhere to 'hang out'. This problem is something which is difficult for the town council to solve." The land being looked at is part of the old railway embankment at the bottom of Ramshill and contained within the road boundaries of Ramshill, Tor Way, Love Lane, and the spur to the community centre. Currently covered in trees, the site is owned by Hampshire County Council, which would be prepared to lease the land for 99 years at a peppercorn rate provided FfYP could meet its criteria, including: n Becoming a registered charity; n Producing a business plan; n Raising the necessary finance to fund all development costs; n Building only a youth centre on the site; n Making the facility available on a non-profit- making basis to other community organisations. The announcement comes just a week after residents called for an improved youth centre at a public meeting aimed at finding a sutable site for a youth shelter in the town. People attending that meeting said they didn't want to see a youth shelter per se, rather an all- encompassing youth complex. David Jeffery, of Woodbury Avenue, Petersfield, said: "The whole youth area should be in one place. What are we doing trying to invent something that is totally surplus to our needs?" Mr Wells said the Festival for Young People was seizing the initiative, adding: "If we, as a community, want somewhere for our young people to 'hang out' then it is up to us, as a community, to do something about it." The budget for the three-floor centre is believed to be around £3.5m-£4m. "Hampshire County Council has created an opportunity for our community which must not be allowed to fail," said Mr Wells. "Such a project is way beyond the capacity of the town council to undertake, but if we think big we can reduce our our sights if necessary at a later stage. If we think small, that is all we are likely to get." Mr Wells said the biggest problem would be raising the capital for development. But he said the Festival for Young People aimed to raise £1m as an investment to produce income to support some of the running costs once the building was up and running. He said: "This investment is vital to the long-term plan. Many projects are started with grants and are kept running with grants for three years, only to fold when the grants are stopped and the money runs out." As with the fundraising for the skatepark, Mr Wells has turned to the young people who hope to benefit from the plans to help raise the necessary funding. He said: "In order to get the necessary grants for development, from Government or the Lottery, young people have to be involved from the start, in all aspects of the venture. It would be wrong for Festival of Young People or anyone else to impose a solution on our young people and the only way for the project to be successful is to listen to what the users have to say." Festival for Young People has already contacted pupils at Herne Junior School, Sheet Primary School and The Petersfield School to find out what they would want in a youth centre. A small working party of 16 and 17 year-olds has also been formed to state their requirements and to work on details of the infrastructure and how the centre would be run. One 15 year old has volunteered to run an online blog to encourage all young people to put forward ideas in their own words. In addition, five Alton College students are working on the design of the building as part of their graphics design and architecture course. Mr Wells added: "If our ideas are to come to fruition and the amount of money we believe we shall need is as stated above then the centre will have to be open seven days per week, for 12 hours a day, to be cost effective. "The size of the building and the possible opening hours give opportunities for many existing groups to be involved. The King's Arms, for instance, is helping produce ideas and their experience of running a youth club could be invaluable. "The youth centre is not being set up in opposition to any other organisation currently in existence. It is an opportunity for groups to have their own space in a modern, purpose-built building which will be available for many years to come. "Festival of Young People has no fixed ideas regarding the shape, size and use of the building. We are looking for input from all sections of the community and would welcome offers of help from anyone who feels they would like to be involved in the project."
