An update on Brickfields Community Hub
Following the exciting announcement that Argyle Community Trust have secured grant funding to develop a dedicated community hub at the current Brickfields site, we are pleased to provide an update on progress.
Over £1 million in grant funding has been awarded from the Community Ownership Fund, through the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to support the ambitious plans to refurbish the newly acquired Devonport Brickfields site.
This news followed the announcement of our ground-breaking agreement with Plymouth City Council, Plymouth Albion RFC, and Devonport Community Leisure Ltd to rejuvenate the site, with a focus on community health, wellbeing, and raising aspirations.
The Council’s cabinet approved the progression of the wider regeneration of Brickfields Recreation Ground on Thursday, 9 March 2023. A project working group has been formed by the Trust, Plymouth City Council, Plymouth Argyle Football Club, Plymouth Albion Rugby Football Club, and Devonport Community Leisure Ltd (DCLL) to co-design and deliver the scheme.
Our proposal to transform the current sports centre into a community hub forms part of the wider Brickfields project, and our vision is to see the primary sports use at the centre complemented by ancillary health and wellbeing that the community want and need, with the Hub managed by the Trust.
Funding requires the hub to be completed ahead of the wider Brickfields masterplan. A separate planning application for the external alterations is needed however, one isn’t required for the hub’s internal transformation.
The proposed application, scheduled for submission later in July, is solely for the external alterations. The Council’s planning officers are satisfied with this procedural approach and support the approach taken to the elevations and public realm improvements.
The proposal has been designed to incorporate feedback from public consultation with Devonport residents on wellbeing conducted in the autumn of 2022.
The consultation revealed that Devonport residents need accessible and affordable community spaces which help connect people and offer a wide range of wellbeing services. To help address these needs, a suite of physical and mental health activity programmes, employability and skills training services, and educational programmes will be introduced and made available, providing enhanced opportunities for local people.
Consultation has begun and local residents will shortly receive a letter updating you on progress and further explaining next steps and details of a public consultation and open day event which will be held at the Hub on Thursday, 20 July where the community will have an opportunity to meet key partners and staff, see the project in more detail, and ask any questions.
The day will begin with an early session running between 10:30am and 1:30pm, and an afternoon session between 3:30pm and 6:30pm.
Plymouth City Council’s Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Sport, Leisure and HR and OD, Councillor Sue Dann said: “This incredibly complicated jigsaw is coming together, and we are now close to submitting a planning application for the first part of the scheme.
“More importantly, the Trust is inviting people living nearby or who use Brickfields to pop along to an event to get the lowdown on this exciting project and get involved. We’re all really keen for people to check out what we want to achieve here.
“It’s not just about expanding the existing offer within the sports centre, it’s about creating a base for people to access education and employment programmes such as apprenticeships and adult education, it’s about having somewhere for the physical, mental, emotional wellbeing services that Devonport residents have told us they need. This could be a game-changer for the health and well-being of our residents in this area and I am really excited about the huge potential this project has got.”
All information contained in this update is subject to the relevant planning and approvals.
A dedicated microsite has been developed here to provide timely updates as the development progresses and will include information on the proposed plans, information on the consultation event, and an email address for you to share views on the proposed development. This will grow and develop alongside the progress of the project.
You can also email any questions you have to our dedicated email address brickfields@pafc.co.uk.
We look forward to working with the community to develop a hub that will offer a diverse range of sport, health, and wellbeing functions which will be extremely valuable to residents of Devonport and Plymouth as a whole.