Community pod opens at Chippenham trouble spot (From This Is Wiltshire)

Community pod opens at Chippenham trouble spot

7:44am Tuesday 7th April 2009 in Latest News By Katie Bond

Families at the opening yesterday

Children, parents and police officers gathered at a trouble spot in Chippenham yesterday to celebrate the opening of a brand new community centre.

The community pod in Hill Rise finally opened on Monday after two years’ community consultation carried out by Westlea Housing, who gained planning permission for one year from the former North Wiltshire District Council several months ago.

It is hoped that the large portacabin on Barrow Green will act as a base for community activities.

Westlea Housing’s Neighbourhood Worker for the area, Katie Scaife said: “This is something that has been talked about for a long time, so it’s great to see it finally open.

"The idea came from young people in the local area telling us that there was nowhere for them to go and they could only hang out in the street which wasn’t great given the usual British weather and wasn't always appreciated by other, older, residents.

“Residents understood that there was a lack of things for young people to do and also talked about other things a community space could be used for, like coffee mornings and parent and toddler groups.

“And we at Westlea realised that the Pod could help us provide residents with better access to services by providing somewhere in the community where we could hold drop-in sessions and advice surgeries.”

Austen Espeut, who has lived in Hill Rise for nine years with his two children, was delighted to see the Pod finally open.

He said: “I think its wonderful, it will provide a focus for the children and it also gets people out talking to each other. People tend to shut themselves away in their houses so hopefully this will give people somewhere to meet.”

Kieran Mason, who also lives in Hill Rise added: “We spoke to the youth workers at Westlea and said that there was nowhere to go, and we are pleased we were listened to and were able to have this chance.”

The Pod features a main room, an office, kitchen area and toilet and is already a base for nine local agencies as an office or workspace.

In addition to granting permission to put the Pod in place, the district council also agreed to a standing licence for the use of the Green for outdoor Pod activities.

Westlea Managing Director Ann Cornelius, who cut the ribbon on the day, said: “This is an advantage for Hill Rise because a lot of the young people have been telling us that they would like somewhere of their own and I hope that they now feel like they have that here.”