Mayors join forces to open community centre

The Mayors of Chorley and South Ribble councils, Cllr Ken Ball and Cllr David Suthers have officially opened the new community centre at Buckshaw Village, near Chorley.

Located at the heart of the village, the community centre, in Unity Place, is a multi-purpose venue that can be used for everything from sporting activities to afterschool clubs and parties.

Developers Redrow Homes and Barratt Homes invested approximately £525,000 in the building and a further £25,000 in landscaping, a car park and equipment.

Christine Aitken, speaking for the developers, said: “We are really proud to be part of Buckshaw Village and as such, Redrow and Barratt have provided the community centre for the use of the local community. There’s a fantastic village community feel to Buckshaw Village and we hope residents get as much as they can out of the community centre and use it as much as possible together with the other facilities here.”

The centre is one of a number of facilities being provided by the developers after a legal agreement was negotiated by Chorley Council when planning permission was granted for Buckshaw.

The two Mayors were jointly invited to open the centre as a symbol of the spirit of cooperation that has existed throughout redevelopment of the old Royal Ordnance factory site, between Chorley and Leyland, which straddled the boundaries of both authorities.

Chorley Mayor, Cllr Ken Ball said: “It’s a great privilege to come down here and open this building and I hope that Buckshaw Village continues to be a success.”

Mayor of South Ribble, Cllr David Suthers said: “This community centre is an example of joint working at its best. Members of the community have invested time and energy to make this idea a reality and I am privileged to be here at the official opening of this facility. I hope the new centre brings the community together and they make the most of it.”

The new community centre is managed by Residential Management Group (RMG), who also look after the external sports pitches at Buckshaw Village. A steering committee has been set up and will have input from local residents.

The community centre has a large hall marked out for indoor sports, including netball, basketball and badminton. There’s also a small stage, a large kitchen area, a separate meeting room with projector and screen.

Community groups have been keen to make use of the centre with enquiries received from mothers and toddlers groups, after schools clubs, yoga lessons, karate classes and slimming groups, etc. It’s also available for private hire at weekends for children’s parties.

A self-contained office at the community centre will be used by the local police / community support officers team.

29/07/2010 00:00:00