What can we expect from the new £13.5m youth zone?

A proposal for a new £13.5m purpose-built youth hub that would provide a "safe, inclusive and inspiring space for young people" has moved a step forward.

Peterborough City Council's cabinet agreed on Tuesday to progress with the plans for a new youth zone on the city's Embankment, which would be run by OnSide Youth Zones, a charity that operates 15 youth centres.

Mohammed Jamil, the Labour-led authority cabinet member for finance, said the hub could be "very successful in attracting youths and trying to keep them off the streets".

What can the city expect from this new facility?

The hub's design would be based on youth zones developed by OnSide, a charity that aims to build "state-of-the-art" youth centres "in the UK's most disadvantaged areas".

The charity runs 15 youth centres across the country, including in Wigan, London and Bolton, which provide a space for those aged eight to 19, and up to 25 years for those with additional needs, to socialise, learn skills and access support.

Some of the locations offer more than 20 activities for young people, including sports halls, boxing rings, dance studios and sensory rooms.

More from Peterborough:

• Frustration as residents face fifth day without water
• Farm's delight after six white owlets found nesting
• 'Congested footpath is forcing people into the road'

Jamil said Peterborough's plans were "still in the infancy stages".

"It could involve computers, employment skills or a whole host of things that young people are interested in. We're looking at what has been done elsewhere in the country," he added.

The Embankment was selected as the preferred location due to its proximity to the Key Theatre, Anglia Ruskin University Peterborough and a new leisure development that is being delivered by 2028.

The council said it will invest up to £410,000 into the facility to "support the next phase of development, including detailed design work and the submission of a planning application".

It added it was "actively exploring all funding avenues" and was looking to apply for government funding to support the project.

The council's cabinet papers said: "The capital funding to build a youth zone is circa £13.5m.

"This cost includes professional fees, construction and fit out. The cost to run a youth zone is in the region of £1.5m per annum.

"About 80% of the cost would pay for staffing the youth zone and the remainder would cover other building running costs including rates, utilities, insurance, maintenance and depreciation of the assets," the paper reported.

At Tuesday's meeting cabinet members agreed to submit an application to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for funding under the Better Youth Spaces scheme, to support the delivery and running costs of the youth zone.

The members also approved £50,000 for the council to appoint professional services towards the project, which will be funded from reserves.

The cabinet also authorised the council to enter into a grant funding agreement with OnSide Youth Zones Limited for up to £360,000, which will be funded from reserves.

Papers for the meeting said a smaller, less expensive hub had been considered, but "there is an ambition not to compromise with this much-needed facility".

Numan Ali Iqbal, the authority's cabinet member for growth and regeneration, said: "The youth zone proposals are a very important part of the city's growth ambitions to ensure our young people have a safe space to go where they can socialise, learn new skills, take part in sports and get support."

John Howard, the Conservative councillor for Hargate and Hempsted, said: "We welcome progress with the youth zone, a project initiated by the Conservative administration.

"But it shouldn't duplicate services already in the city but bring a fresh offering.

"We are concerned about its positioning on the Embankment space, and the possibility of prohibitive costs burdening the authority in the long-term.

"We also want to make it clear the Conservative group support seeing a clear vision for the Embankment being established."

Heather Skibsted, a Green Party councillor for Orton Longueville, said although the group "welcomes" the hub, it has some concerns with its location.

"We were however not consulted about the location and also we question whether we have allocated budget for youth workers to get the most out of the space.

"We would like to see more detail for the funding for the ongoing costs - whether it will be subsidised youth provision or run by commercial operators.

"We would also like to raise the issue of how young people can access the centre from other areas and townships around the city and whether satellite centres will be planned."

Phil Priestley, from Cambridgeshire Youth Panel, described the proposal as "tremendously positive".

"I think it's important to change the narrative from 'keeping youths off the streets'... to promoting the idea that society has a responsibility to nurture young people and create a stronger foundation for adulthood," he said.

Do you have a story suggestion for Peterborough? Contact us below.

Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.