Hub @ The Third Place development plans

The Hub @ The Third Place will refurbish 1,187sqm of youth premises located close to Halesowen town centre and public transport links across Dudley Borough, creating a contemporary destination venue that reflects needs and passions of young people, especially those alienated from existing youth provision.

The Hub development will offer creative and challenging arts, sports and music activities and volunteering opportunities within a safe and fun environment that will help boost social skills and self-confidence.

It will help to overcome differences and build community belonging around shared passions.  The centre will be open weekdays, evenings and weekends and will include access to specialist disability services including a multi-sensory room.

Why refurbish and redevelop?

The current facilities provide a games area, a small indoor sports hall, office facilities, classrooms and social areas. However, being based in an old 1950’s warehouse has restricted the development options and spaces required to meet the needs of today’s teenagers, especially with numbers expanding to around 150 for the Friday night Youth Club.

Following in depth surveys and planning by various Youth focused community groups such as Phase Trust and Windsor High School over the last two years, it has become apparent that a refurbishment and significant enlarging of the current Youth facilities is needed to support development and ongoing service provision for years to come.

Phase Trust will continue to be the youth service delivery agency for the Youth facility areas in The Third Place.

Main redevelopment

The Third Place Community Base development will deliver dedicated facilities for young people from the Halesowen area, who have had a key role in shaping the range of services available.

It will include:

• A vibrant youth club catering for over 200 young people per session
• A variety of social spaces including cafes, loud and quiet lounges, a games zone, an internet café and mentoring rooms
• A small indoor sports area for youth football, dance exercise sessions, keep fit and padded sumo-suit wrestling
• A gigging venue for drama and live music, seen as key to engaging alienated youth from the surveys carried out, especially once the Conference Centre recording studio is complete.

Partner agencies will run workshops on hot issues such as sexual health/relationships, drugs/alcohol, personal safety, healthy living choices.

Conference centre and outdoor sports development

This will add access to:

• A MUGA - multi-use games area between Community Base and the Church /  Conference Centre
• A media suite and recording studio for training up young people in multimedia production and editing, or to provide recording opportunities for up and coming musical acts

“I believe it will create chances for young musicians to shine. All of these facilities will be available to the entire youth community”.

Chair of Dudley Youth Council

Visit the gallery for images of the youth development.