Improvement Works Planned for Sun Street Youth & Community Centre

A COMMUNITY centre in East Reading is set to undergo a £280,000 upgrade to provide improved facilities for residents.

Sun Street Youth & Community Centre operates as one of the Council’s Children’s Centres and the works will allow it to offer a full range of services in partnership with Health, as well as enhancing the building for future community use. The work is being planned as part of the Council’s £2m Community Hubs programme which has involved major improvements to centres in South Reading and Southcote and Amersham Road’s Weller Centre with funding through the Earley Charity and Reading Borough Council. Works to extend Battle Library for community use are due to start early in 2019. The proposals are to make internal alterations to the Sun Street centre which will enable the provision of a training room, crèche for adult education classes and accommodation for health visiting and maternity services. Members of the Council’s Policy Committee, on 29th October, will be asked to approve the works which would start in spring 2019 and take about six months to complete. Officers will liaise with the contractor to maintain the operation of the building as far as possible during the works. Sun Street Youth & Community Centre was identified as one of the borough’s four main Children’s Centre hubs following a review of children’s centre services in 2017. The others are based at South Reading Community Hub, Southcote Community Hub and Ranikhet Children’s Centre. Three satellite centres also operate at Battle Library, Coley Children’s Centre and Caversham Children’s Centre.

Cllr Sophia James, Lead Councillor for Neighbourhoods and Communities, said:

“Sun Street Youth & Community Centre is a valuable venue for residents in the heart of east Reading. “The proposed investment will make it an even more attractive space for future community use.”

Cllr Liz Terry, Lead Councillor for Children’s Services, said:

“The improvements to Sun Street Youth & Community Centre will be a big benefit to families who visit for Children’s Centre services and for local residents. “The internal alterations and reconfiguration of the centre will enable the full range of Children’s Centre services to be provided in more comfortable and updated surroundings.” The full report can be found at: http://www.reading.gov.uk/article/11451/Policy-Committee-29-OCT-2018