Plans to demolish former Crawley youth centre and replace it with flats approved
Plans to demolish a former youth centre and replace it with six flats have been approved by Crawley Borough Council’s planning committee.
The application for the centre, in Shackleton Road, Tilgate, was submitted by the council itself and was given the nod during a meeting on Monday (July 20).
Describing the building as ‘a wreck’, Michael Jones, leader of the council, said: “The neighbourhood will benefit from its clearance and regeneration of the site.”
The centre – which sits next to Tilgate Community Centre – has been empty since 2021 and has not been used for youth services since 2007. It was later used as a home for Age UK.
Mr Jones added: “This proposal brings a redundant brownfield site back into productive use and delivers six new council homes. It will provide homes for local couples and small families who are currently waiting for suitable accommodation on our lists in our borough.
“We want and we need more council homes.”
The council received 22 letters objecting to the plans, with concerns raised including traffic and parking congestion in the area, whether the site was suitable for houses, and the development not being in keeping with existing houses.
The development will include seven parking spaces.
Ian Irvine, cabinet member for housing, said a lot of refinement and attention to detail had gone into the proposal.
He added: “Surely, helping our residents is what we exist for as councillors. When development proposals come forward, people always say we’ve got to develop the brownfield sites first. That is exactly what we’re doing in this case.”
To view the application, log on to planningregister.crawley.gov.uk and search for CR/2023/0321/FUL.