South Bristol will become home to the South West’s first Onside Youth Zone after councillors gave the green light to the proposed location of the £8.4m development between the Hengrove and Hartcliffe areas of the city.
At a meeting of the full council on 14 September, councillors also formally agreed to invest £4.2m towards construction costs.
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Onside said the location had been chosen “because of its accessibility to all young people aged between eight and 19, or up to 25 for those with additional need, across south Bristol”.
The youth services provider has teamed up with south Bristol youth work charity Youth Moves and Bristol City Council to expand the opportunities available to young people in the area, Onside added.
Expected to open in 2024, south Bristol Youth Zone will become part of Youth Moves’ existing operations, as well Onside’s national network of Youth Zones.
The Youth Zone will be open for more than 40 hours a week, offering young people access to more than 20 activities, from sports such as football, boxing and climbing, to creative arts, music, drama and employability training.
Bristol Council has also pledged £400,000 towards the Youth Zone’s annual £1.3m running costs while a young people’s development group will be set up to include young people in the creation of the project.
Alistair Dale, chief executive of Youth Moves, said: “The opportunities that a Youth Zone can provide not only for the young people who will access them, but also for new jobs and the wider community are amazing. We have seen this on our visits to Youth Zones elsewhere in the country and now can’t wait to build an offer with partners for our own young people of south Bristol.”
