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Youth Zone starting to take shape
Groundworks underway at the building site of Wigan Youth Zone on Mesnes Playing Fields, Parson's Walk, Wigan
DAY by day the town’s landscape is changing forever - for work is now seriously under way on the much anticipated Wigan Youth Zone.
Construction experts have been on the Mesnes Playing Fields site since the turn of the year to begin the project to create a boys and girls’ club that will be among the best in Europe.
By the end of March a steel skeleton of the building should be emerging and a concrete base have been laid.
The perimeter has already been fenced off and painted and the contractors’ welfare compound set up. Eventually the hoardings will be decorated to promote the zone.
The site has now also been stripped of topsoil and the ground prepared for the start of piling with the steel superstructure set to start appearing in about a month’s time.
The zone, which could cater for up to 3,000 youngsters a week, is due to open early next year and will include outdoor football pitches and a wide range of indoor leisure and cultural facilities, from a recording studio to a gym.
When the project is a little further progressed there are plans to bury a time capsule under the site full of 2012 mementoes.
Wigan Youth Zone development manager Simon Baker said: “It’s great to see the building work finally up and running.
“The size of the project is there for all to see and it clearly reflects our determination to provide a world-class facility for the borough’s young people.”
Mr Baker’s main task is to raise money towards the building and running costs. Millionaires Dave Whelan, Martin Ainscough and Bill Ainscough have pledged £1m each and underwritten the rest of the construction work while other backers are found.
As for its day-to-day running, 10 per cent will be covered by the youngsters’ modest membership fees and anything else they might spend their money on at the club, 40 per cent from the council and 50 per cent from private sector sponsorship.
Mr Baker said he had secured about a quarter of what was needed from this last source to run the club for the first three years.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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Comments
There are 12 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Ferg1985
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 10:41 PMIt is refreshing to finally see some rational thought within these comments, and not the usual NIMBY brigade out in full force (most of which probably haven't set foot on this green for years, or make us of the many other green spaces in our borough) Moan for moaning's sake! Great to see this finally moving ahead.
jackmetickler
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 02:35 PMI would have liked to see it being built on some of Whelans green belt at Parbold. Give something for the Wiganers in the outlying areas to do. Those that live in Shevington, Parbold, Apply Bridge, Lathom and such. It seems at the moment all they have to do in the way of recreation, is to take pot-shots at walkers.
p smith
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 06:47 PMSorry but the land has not been used fro anything in years, its just a case of "not in my back yard" by local people that are so scared of all these teenagers that are going to cause mayhem for them, get a life. Its right in the middle of Wigan and couple of minute walk from the bus station and train station, its perfect location.
Scarecrow
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 04:53 PMWhy some people in Wigan have to be so negative about anything which will improve the facilities of the town is beyond me.
Wandering Wiganer
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 01:49 PMRay Ashton calling me stupid, eh? I don't even know where to begin. While I don't resort to name-calling, I will say that it's attitudes like yours, Mr Ashton, that have put Wigan where it is today. Should the centre fail (and I hope it doesn't), you'll likely sit back and smirk saying, "told you it wouldn't work." The general negative outlook held by many of the townsfolk is a large contributing factor to the town's demise. Pin what you like on the council, government, foreigners, etc, etc, etc, but constantly objecting to anything that is proposed and thinking you know better is a sad way to be, because you'll never be happy. Mesnes field was a poorly maintained rectangular piece of land that was sparesly used, and something else would have been built on it eventually anyway. Stupid? I'll take stupid if you're mindset is the alternative.
Ray Ashton
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 09:01 AMThere is nothing to rejoice about in the loss of any open area of land and more so this piece of land. I have no objection whatsoever to a Youth Zone but this is not the site for it. There were many other areas more suited to this construction. Once an area of land is built on it is lost for ever. The comment from Wandering Wiganer that Mesnes park is open land and close by shows just how stupid he is. Two areas of open land are better than one. I wonder just what will happen to these buildings when it all fails as it surely will. And another kick in the teeth for the people of Wigan is that Whelan and Co have asked David Cameron to officially open the building. Blackburn the other day got a member of the Royal Family to open their Youth Zone we get the worst PM since John Major!!!
JemmyH
Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 12:17 AMI have no objection to building a youth club on Mesnes Field. -- What I DO object to is part of my council tax contribution being spent on it's upkeep.
bobby53
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 07:29 PMlets wish it the best of luck, thers nothing for kids before pub age.
Mr Good Guy
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 05:40 PMi remember as a school lad playing cricket on their,didnt they have a squash court on their as well
Wandering Wiganer
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 05:38 PMWell said Scarecrow. If I want to see an open space, I can walk 100 yards down the road and go to the park - just like everyone did, does and will. The fact that I can no longer see students smoking and littering the field, or see dogs doing their business on the field, doesn't exactly ruin my day. Here's to a facility that will help kids in the town by providing a range of services - not just a football putch as some seem to think.
Scarecrow
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 04:43 PMLooking forward to the opening of a top class facility for the young people of Wigan on what was a unused piece of land in the town centre.
wigan_rl
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 04:16 PMTake on last look at the open space that was once home of Mesnes Playing Fields, what a shame to bulid a big eye sore and fill the open space!
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