New homes and new community centre taking shape

An ambitious community-led project to provide new homes and create a new centre, shaped by residents, is expected to open towards the end of the year.

The project to build new homes and a new Newbury Community Centre, on the Howard Estate, in Bury St Edmunds, is being led by the Newbury Community Association (NCA) and is supported by West Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council councillors and Havebury Housing Partnership.

Back in 2014, residents were invited to take part in the first of three engagement events about the activities they were like to see taking place in their new community centre.

Suffolk County Council also identified the opportunity to integrate the Carousel Children’s Centre into the new facility. That then shaped the designs for the new building which is being paid for and delivered as part of a new Keepmoat Housing development of 79 new homes.

The scheme has also been made possible through the availability of other developer contributions and a £670,000 grant from the government’s Land Release Fund.

Members of the Community Association and councillors were among those who visited the site to see the progress that has been made.

Barbara Bannister, chairperson of the NCA, said: “It is really exciting. There has been so much progress made on the new building and we are looking forward to moving in there toward the end of the year and welcoming the local community to their new centre.”

Robert Everitt, cabinet member for Families and Communities at West Suffolk Council, represents the area on Suffolk County Council.

He said: “It is fantastic to see this vision, which the NCA has led on and which the community helped shape, rapidly becoming a reality and I am really looking forward to seeing it up and running.”

Sara Mildmay-White, cabinet member for Housing at West Suffolk Council, said: “It’s great to see the new centre taking shape alongside these much-needed homes, including affordable housing. Everyone needs a place to live and it is through housing delivery such as this that we can help meet that need as well as provide wonderful new facilities such as this new community centre which is so eagerly anticipated.”

Local ward councillor Paul Hopfensperger who has been heavily involved in the project since its inception said: “This is bold, ambitious and exciting. I am sure lots of people are looking forward to the new community centre. This has been years in the making and I am delighted for everyone that has been a part of this journey, to see their new community centre being built.”

Once completed, West Suffolk Council will transfer ownership of the building to the NCA and the old community centre, built more than half a century ago, will then be demolished as part of the housing development that has helped pay for it.

The new centre and the rest of the new homes are being built on the site of the former Howard Primary School which was owned by Suffolk County Council.

The redevelopment of the former school, and the old community centre owned by Suffolk County Council, is backed by the government’s One Public Estate programme which aims to help turn redundant public sector sites in areas that create growth including new housing and also generate efficiencies, such as through reduced running costs.

The redevelopment is being led by Keepmoat Homes and includes affordable housing.  Ashe Construction is building the new community centre on behalf of Keepmoat, working closely with the stakeholders.

Pictured above are members of the Newbury Community Association at the new community centre with councillors Paul Hopfensperger and Patrick Chung, Liz Wigley representing the Government’s One Public Estate programme, representatives of Suffolk County Council, Keepmoat Homes and Ashe Group.