• Mayor Fiaz marks major milestone in children’s service with completion of Shipman Youth Zone
• £8 million facility will offer youth services and a Family Hub
Completion of work on the £8million Shipman Youth Zone has been marked by a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by the Mayor of Newham.
Keys to the state-of-art-centre are due to be handed over imminently with the carbon neutral zone opening to young people later this Spring. The Youth Zone will also be home to the newest Family Hub in the borough which will provide services throughout the day to families.
Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz was joined by lead for children’s services, Councillor Sarah Ruiz, Councillor James Beckles who represents Custom House and Jacob Heitland, the council’s director for climate action to view the new facilities.
Designs for the new centre were co-produced with Custom House young people and architects from Rivington Studios. It will offer a wide range of activities and services to suit the needs of the young population of the local area. On site, there is a custom built sports hall with equipment for basketball, volleyball, football and many more activities, a music studio for budding musicians, a multimedia suite with green screen for film production and a fitness and wellbeing suite offering opportunities to keep fit and healthy. Additionally, youngsters will be able to learn to cook in a fully functional kitchen and prepare meals for their peers and families using food grown in the centre’s garden. Other facilities include a dance studio, IT suite and an arts and craft rooms. Showers are also available.
Work on the centre started a year ago and involved demolishing the former Shipman Youth Zone and replacing it with a sustainable carbon neutral building which will be net zero in operation. This means that with the help of solar panels, battery storage and efficient design, the building will produce more energy than it uses. It also uses cross-laminated timber across the structure, reducing the carbon impact when compared to traditional materials like steel. London Legacy Development Corporation provided funding of more than £200,000 from their carbon offset fund to enable this particular aspect of the construction.
The centre will also offer services for babies, toddlers and their families as it will operate as a Family Hub. During the day, the site will offer a one stop shop for advice on a range of issues include perinatal classes, parenting assistance and stay and play sessions.
Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz said: “I am excited to open the new Shipman Youth Zone. This building symbolises our enduring commitment to make Newham the best place in the world to grow up and also demonstrates the types of conversation we need to continue having with children and young people, to make sure they feel valued and acknowledged and more importantly involved in all aspects of decision making here at the council.
“When I was a ward councillor for Custom House, I used to visit the old Shipman Centre and the old building evoked a sense of constraint and negativity. One area of discussion was around the value the centre had on their lives, providing a family and environment where young people felt safe and empowered.
“When I became mayor, I made sure I sustained my promise to the young people that we would work together to make Shipman Youth Zone the most exemplary young zone in the country and the building here now is testament to that promise. We’ve done it with the involvement of young people and the design has been shaped by our commitment to co-production and co-design. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen in this space when the energy, enthusiasm and promise of our young people manifests in all its full glory.”
The new youth zone will be open six days a week and will open later this Spring.
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