New £330,000 building due to open

(Date of issue: Wednesday, 07 January 2009)

The Mayor of Carlisle, Cllr Jacquelyne Geddes, will officially open Belah’s new £330,000 community building this Friday (9 January).

The work on the new Belah Centre was carried out by the City Council on behalf of the Belah Community Association, who were given a £250,000 grant from the City Council and a £80,000 grant from Carlisle Housing Association.

Work started on the new facility in June last year and was completed in late November, on programme and within budget. A special event has been planned this Friday to celebrate the official opening of the community building.

Carlisle City Council’s Community Services Directorate project managed the work. The main contractor was Mossom & Sidney from Maryport and Gray Associates of Dalston provided architectural support.

The major refurbishment works have transformed the external aesthetics of the building, with the internal improvements offering greater flexibility for the users of the site.

In line with Carlisle City Council’s Environmental policy, the building design includes sun pipe technology, energy efficient lighting, external insulation render and composite cladding roof design.

The design complies with the latest access legislation.

Cllr Olwyn Luckley, Portfolio holder for Health & Communities, said:

"The improvement works were essential and we were happy to support the scheme with a £250,000 grant. The old building was not fit for purpose and posed serious health and safety issues. This was resulting in a decline in the number of residents using the facility. Investment was needed to ensure its future use."

David Morton, Chairman of Belah Community Centre’s Trustees, said:

"The newly refurbished building provides a modern, up to date community facility, which will attract more people to the centre. This will in turn increase income and allow the managing trustees to provide suitable facilities to enhance what is already available to the community. This will include more learning, health, welfare issues and leisure facilities."

Cllr Joe Hendry, from Carlisle Housing Association’s Grants Committee, said:

"I am delighted to see the new Belah Centre. Carlisle Housing Association's Community Investment Committee gave its biggest ever grant - a massive £80,000, which has been a huge boost to the facilities planned. This sends a clear message of Carlisle Housing Association's dedication to its tenants and the local community. We are very committed to making Carlisle a better place to live. We shall be seeking further partnerships to help more community projects such as credit unions and local youth clubs."

Belah Centre is home to a number of local groups including a nursery, a mother and toddler group, a music group, the Women’s Institute, various health clinics and local football teams.

The original building was built in 1951, as a church. It was transferred from the County Council to the City Council in 1981.

The last major refurbishment was in the early 1990s when football changing rooms were put in place, an office space was added in the mid 1990s and the ceiling in the main hall lowered in the late 1990s.