£500k for new Brentwood facility to boost skills and employment
Released 11 February 2008 | Released by Fiona Gartner
A £500,000 grant from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) will mean Brentwood's post-war housing estates of East Ham, Three Arches and Thriftwood will get a new community-owned 'hub' that will provide much-needed essential services and help raise the skill levels of local residents and to help them find jobs.
After nearly ten years of being without any kind of community asset since the closure of the old building, Ingrave Community Association Ltd (ICAL) with support from Brentwood Borough Council, Essex County Council, Newham Council and the local Primary Care Trust (PCT) has been successful in its application to EEDA for a grant under its Building Communities Fund. The £3 million-a-year fund is designed to enable community-owned organisations to purchase or develop buildings and land that they can use to make a significant economic and social impact.
In an area where 41 per cent of the population have no qualifications, the new community asset will play a key role in helping people participate fully in the economy by providing access to important services such as day care, skills training and health provision.
John Wilkinson, Head of Communities at EEDA said:
"EEDA is very pleased to give a £500,000 grant to Ingrave Community Association Ltd for a new community asset that will support the transformation of the East Ham, Three Arches and Thriftwood estates and offer a resident-owned and managed facility which can act as a catalyst for the community's regeneration. It will improve prospects for better quality employment and provide greatly improved access to essential services for local residents, young and old."
Sally Andrews, Ingrave Community Association Ltd, chair said:
"We are delighted to receive the £500,000 grant from EEDA for the new community asset for the people living here on the East Ham, Three Arches and Thriftwood housing estates. Local residents have not had anywhere to call their own for nearly ten years and this is going to make a massive difference to people here who have no doctor's surgery, nursery provision or learning and skills facilities. Ingrave Community Association looks forward to working with EEDA in opening this much-needed community asset in a year's time."
A wealth of facilities will be delivered from the building which will be built to the highest environmental standards and will recover 0.25 hectares of brownfield land. Work is due to start in March.
From next January, when the building work will be completed, Sure Start will be offering a range of services, such as nursery places for young mums wanting to find suitable employment, an after school club, children's health services, language provision, family support and basic adult skills services.
As well as this it will provide opportunities for organisations such as Connexions to provide training and referral services for young people. There will be free IT equipment and internet access for all to use, for example older people who want to learn computer skills. There will also be a local health service run by the local PCT. In addition, there will be community education facilities, a café and an information point.
Other organisations and agencies are likely to use the asset to the benefit of the local people including the voluntary sector, police, local primary schools, religious groups, councils and others.
The total cost of the project is £780,000. As well as the grant from EEDA, £150,000 will come from Sure Start; £45,000 from charities and trusts. Since September last year a series of fundraising events in the community has already raised a good proportion of the community's £25,000 target.
Newham Council, which owns the site, has already funded the site feasibility study and the preparation of the business plan which cost an estimated £33,500 plus the demolition of the old building. On top of this Brentwood Borough Council will be considering an application for the exemption of business rates for Ingrave Community Association. £30,000 has been received from Essex County Council from their Community Initiatives Fund.
