Second new Norwich YMCA plan gets green light

Plans to build a second new YMCA accommodation facility in Norwich city centre have been given the green light by city planners.

 

Norwich City Council planners unanimously backed the proposal for the building on Music House Lane, south of the city centre (pictured right), including 40 self-contained flats in a four-storey building, on January 3.

 

Each flat will have its own bathroom and self-contained kitchen, and there will be training rooms, office and interview rooms and a single-storey communal lounge.

The plans form the second part of the reorganisation of the YMCA services in Norwich which will eventually replace the current 90-bed hostel in St Giles.

John Drake, YMCA chief executive officer, said: “We wanted a building with better amenities and this new building on Music House Lane will have single rooms and each person will have their own bathroom and self contained kitchen.

“We also want to equip people with the skills they need to go on and look after themselves. It's not just about taking people off the streets. We want to keep them off the streets too. I think people realize we need to invest in the most vulnerable in our community,” he said.

“We also realise the desperate need that young vulnerable girls have for accommodation, and in the 21st century we're glad we can offer accommodation for both young men and women.”

 

Managed by YMCA staff 24-hours a day, the building will complement the neighbouring Victorian community workshop building, but will also include state-of-the-art green and energy-efficiency measures.

The overall project is worth £8m and a large part of the money will be raised from selling the current hostel on St Giles as well as funds from the Greater Norwich Housing partnership, Broadland and South Norfolk Councils and the Housing Corporation.

 

The new facility could be open by Christmas 2009, said John.