Gym plans mooted as part of Sandwick youth centre reconfiguration

PART of the Sandwick Youth and Community Centre (SYCC) could be turned into a gym if new plans come to fruition.

A public consultation event was held on Monday (6 January), with around 30 people attending.

The SYCC previously issued a questionnaire asking all users and members of the community what they wanted from the facility.

The “overwhelming preference” was for a gym, with improvements to the layout and circulation within the building also highlighted.

Further consultation and a workshop with the SYCC committee and volunteers were used to establish a prioritised vision for the building.

SYCC successfully applied for a grant from the Community Led Local Development (CLLD) fund to commission a feasibility study and draft up options.

Malcolmson Architects started work on the project in November.

Initial draft plans for a range of options were presented to the SYCC committee just before Christmas, and shared at Monday’s meeting.

A spokesperson for the youth and community centre committee said the team are “delighted to see so much support for the SYCC and for this project”.

The draft plans for a range of options will also be shared online shortly, with a questionnaire to gather more views and comments to inform the development of this project.

Feedback from the consultation will be compiled and used to potentially further develop two or three options, with one or two final options being costed by a quantity surveyor.

At that point, the SYCC committee should be in a position to select a preferred option, apply for permissions and seek funding to reconfigure the building and deliver the vision.

The SYCC also said it intends to post updates on the project on its Facebook page.

The Sandwick Youth and Community Centre is a charity and a trust which is responsible for the community centre, football pitch and sailing club premises in Sandwick.

The centre is run by a voluntary committee, and provides a sports hall, youth spaces, snooker room and meetings rooms at affordable rates.

Folk are invited to contact SYCCbookings@gmail.com about room bookings or occasional volunteering opportunities.