Station Youth Centre Receives Major Refurbishment as Town Council Invests in Community Facilities

Improvement works at Hailsham’s Station Youth Centre have transformed the building’s upper hall, creating a safer, brighter and more practical space for young people and community users.

Hailsham Town Council has completed a programme of improvement works at the Station Youth Centre in Western Road, giving the centre’s upper hall a significant refurbishment and making better use of the space available.

Funded through the Town Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), the project has focused on bringing the upper floor into a safe and usable condition while providing practical improvements that will benefit the young people, families, community groups and organisations using the centre.

The works have included re-plastering and redecorating the upper hall, repairing damaged walls, installing new fire doors, removing the existing raised stage and creating additional storage facilities, including the installation of a mezzanine floor.

The removal of the stage has opened up the main floor area, providing greater flexibility for activities, events and other uses, while the new mezzanine creates additional storage capacity without taking up valuable floor space.

Cllr Dave Chapman, Chair of Hailsham Town Council’s Assets Management Committee, said: “Investing in our community buildings is an important part of the Town Council’s work, and the Station Youth Centre is a particularly valuable facility for Hailsham.”

“The upper hall had reached a point where significant work was needed to bring it up to the standard we want for a modern community facility. This project has not only addressed the condition of the room but has also looked at how the space can work more effectively for the people and organisations using it.”

“The additional storage, removal of the raised stage and general refurbishment have made a noticeable difference, and it is encouraging to see the upper hall being brought back into regular use.”

“I would like to thank everyone involved in delivering the project. The improvements demonstrate the value of investing CIL funding back into facilities that provide a lasting benefit to the local community.”

Deputy Youth Service Manager Joel Cottingham welcomed the improvements, saying: “The completion of the works is fantastic news for the Station Youth Centre and for the young people and families who use the building. Having a bright, clean and welcoming upper hall makes a real difference to the experience of everyone who comes through the doors.”

“The additional storage is particularly useful for us as a youth service. It means we can make better use of the space and keep equipment and resources organised, while the improvements to the hall give us greater flexibility in how we use it for activities and events.”

Tony Lee, Operations & Facilities Manager at the Town Council, said: “It is particularly rewarding to see my design ideas and plans for the upper hall come to fruition and to see the vision I had for the space now brought to life. From the outset, I wanted to create a safer, more practical and flexible environment that would better meet the needs of the young people, groups and community users of the Station Youth Centre.”

“The project has incorporated a number of elements from those original plans, including repairing and re-plastering the walls, removing the stage and creating additional storage. The new mezzanine was an important part of my design, providing much-needed storage while keeping the main hall open and versatile.”

“Seeing the plans I developed translated into a finished space that the community can now use and benefit from is extremely satisfying. With the new fire doors now installed, the project is complete and the upper hall has been transformed into a much-improved facility for the years ahead.”

The Station Youth Centre is an important community facility in Hailsham, providing activities and services for young people alongside spaces that can be used by local groups and organisations.

The latest improvements form part of Hailsham Town Council’s ongoing investment in its community buildings, helping to ensure that they remain fit for purpose, well maintained and able to meet the needs of the people who use them.

The project has been funded through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which provides the Town Council with funding to invest in infrastructure and facilities that benefit the local community.