HUNDREDS of thousands of pounds look set to be invested in transforming a community centre into a hub which will stand for decades to come.
Colchester Council’s cabinet has given the green light to plans to inject £200,000 into the St John’s and Highwoods Community Centre.
The money would have otherwise been ploughed into a new community centre which had been proposed for the old Colchester Rugby Club site off Mill Road, Colchester.
The huge new centre was paused because of surging construction costs but the council hopes to kickstart the project again as part of the ongoing Northern Gateway scheme.
Council leader David King said the community centre, in Highwoods Square, Colchester, is a “much-loved place that needs some TLC and investment to ensure it has a sustainable longer-term future”.
Highwoods councillor Jocelyn Law told the cabinet she was “fully supportive” of the investment at a meeting on Wednesday evening.
“It’s been well used for decades and it will be great to see it carrying on for future decades,” she said.
“When I first moved to Colchester it was one of the first places I went to. I went to a toddler group there and got to know people. It’s at the heart of the community.
“It’s got a great dedicated team of staff who are so helpful to everyone in the community.”
She added: “It’s really good to know the community centre will be well used by residents for decades to come.”
Council resources boss Mark Cory said: “I support this wholeheartedly because of the need for refreshment and reinvestment into Highwoods and the community.”
He added: “We are seeing that northern part of Colchester being served by good community centres and this is a way of regenerating what you’ve got there in Highwoods as well."
The money will be spent on replacing the centre’s boiler, roof repairs and improvements to the car park and other parts of the building.
Alison Jay, the councillor responsible for economic growth, didn’t take part in the debate or vote on the plans because she is employed at the centre.
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