Ropewalk Centre to be re-opened
14th February 2011
For over a year Alan Whitehead and Labour Councillors in Bevois have been campaigning to save the Ropewalk Centre on Derby Road. Today we're pleased to report the Centre is on course to be re-opened thanks to the work of the Itchen Community Trust.
The full update from the Trust is below:
West Itchen Community Trust is delighted to have purchased the Ropewalk Centre on Derby Road and we would like to thank the local community for your support and patience while the purchase was completed from the Council. The hard work will now begin in earnest to get the building back into use as soon as possible for the benefit of the surrounding community.
Some initial works are going to be instructed with almost immediate affect to ensure that the building satisfies the safety requirements required to reopen the building for community use. Bearing in mind that the building has been obsolete for over a year, the Trust will need some time to get the Centre fully operational and we hope that local residents and groups understand that the Centre will be developed in phases over a period of time.
The Trust's initial intentions are to quickly form a steering group with the partner organisations that surround the boundary of the site; namely Abu Bakar Mosque and Ropewalk Community Garden. We will also be looking to hold further meetings with other surrounding community organisations to secure the widest possible input into the future of the Centre. West Itchen Community Trust will be moving into the building as soon as is physically possible and we will then begin the journey with our partners to look at the most practical uses for the Centre and how it can develop in the coming years.
Gulzar Sharif
Community Enterprise Manager
West Itchen Community Trust
1 Brunswick Place
Southampton
SO15 2AN
Tel 023 8038 8580
Fax 023 8023 6057
www.wict.co.uk
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