Youth zone proposed for west London borough

The youth zone, which would be run by youth charity OnSide, would sit alongside a new school, nursery, adult education centre, offices and affordable housing on a site dubbed EdCity in White City, west London.

Draft plans state that EdCity is a non-profit project to create an "innovative" education hub, where organisations with a shared mission will collaborate to improve education standards in the local community, London and beyond.

It explains that the youth zone would be open to young people from both White City and the wider borough and offer affordable activities in sports, arts, music, employability and mentoring to young people aged eight to 19, or up to 25 with a disability, seven days a week.

If the plans are successful the project site will also have other educational and leisure opportunities including a brand new primary academy, expanded facilities for the Harmony Neighbourhood Nursery, workspace for charities and social enterprises, and key worker homes for teachers.

"Facilities at the Youth Zone would include a sports hall, gym, climbing wall, dance studio, boxing ring and recording studio," the draft plan states.

"Young people could also share certain facilities with Ark Swift Primary Academy, such as the multi-use games area, accessing them outside school hours.

"All of these facilities will ensure that young people from the local area have somewhere safe to go, positive things to do, and people who care, every day of the week."

A public exhibition on the site plans was held in November. Feedback will now be considered before the plans are finalised and a planning application is submitted to the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham early next year.

Dr Mark Ward, project director at OnSide Youth Zones, said: "OnSide is committed to providing young people with safe, affordable and inspiring places to go in their leisure time and we're confident these draft proposals will provide an unparalleled opportunity to offer a state-of-the-art youth zone for young people across West London.

"It will provide a supportive and exciting place that all young people from the borough can access to help them live happier, healthier and more aspirational lives."

In January three youth zones for London were been given the go-ahead in the boroughs of Croydon, Barnet, and Barking and Dagenham.

Rob Carter, deputy chief executive of Onside Youth Zones told CYP Now in July that the charity wants to establish 100 youth zones within the "next generation".