The National Youth Agency: My place

In this series we look at a range of generic and specialist youth facilities to encourage ambition and vision in support of Myplace bids, linking each to one of the programme's ten key principles.

OPEN YOUTH VENUE, NORWICH

Key principle: Long-term viability - ensuring sustainability through robust management, community engagement and ongoing revenue planning.

The Lind Trust purchased the former Barclays building, a 50,000 square feet Grade II listed building in 2005, and made it available to the Open Youth Trust. The venue is being developed in three stages to provide young people with a wide variety of leisure, cultural and educational activities. The first stage was to set up an income generating secure storage and archive facility - trading as Closed Secure Storage - based in the underground bank vaults. Then, office space was developed for a range of agencies including The Prince's Trust, Norfolk Children's Services (including the city youth work team) and Connexions. Stage three is currently under construction and includes a central space with a purpose-built stage and space for 400 seats, a conference suite which can be hired out and a nightclub with capacity for 500 people. The completed venue should open next spring. Through the secure storage, rent and conference centre, cafe and live venue income the project will be able to generate the necessary £750,000 a year to cover its running costs.