Plans to turn Stonehaven’s crumbling Sea Cadet hall into a hangout haven for youngsters have taken a step forward – after leaders faced being locked out amid cash fears.
Kincardine and Mearns Youth Clubs (KMYC) are hoping Aberdeenshire Council will lease them the High Street building for 30 years.
Leaders argued the community asset transfer was needed due to the group’s “significant” growth.
The youth club currently operates out of the Stonehaven Community Centre, but it has outgrown the space.
The Sea Cadet hall would give the group room to expand its offering to more young people and increase the activities it can offer.
But council officials had urged elected members to throw out the plans when they went before the Kincardine and Mearns area committee.
Why did council chiefs want to refuse the asset transfer?
Officers were worried that the club wouldn’t manage to secure long-term funding, warning the building is in need of some costly repairs.
They said money through fundraising, grants and letting the hall for events such as birthday parties was “not always guaranteed”.
Council bosses even argued that the birthday party market in Stonehaven “could be considered high risk due to its volatility and tendency to be trend driven”.
However the biggest concern was the current state of the building.
Area manager Tim Stephen told the committee the building was “very much sold as seen”.
He added: “There is a likelihood there will be a range of issues that will manifest and will be the sole responsibility of whoever has the building.”
During the meeting, concerns were raised that the hall is a “liability” and could be too expensive for the youth club to maintain.
Transfer would give young people their own ‘safe and secure’ space
Trustee and group volunteer Denise Bannerman attended the meeting to fight the youth club’s corner.
She explained that the old Sea Cadet hall would enable young people to personalise and manage their own space while creating a feeling of ownership and community.
“This would enable the youth club to provide a safe and secure space and an offering that is universal and free,” she said.
Denise also told the committee that the hall would provide much-needed storage space for the club.
The group was recently donated a pool table, a sofa and a table-top football game, but unfortunately these can’t be used in the community centre.
Denise added: “The transfer would eliminate the need to compete for space.
“It can even offer space for the community to use while even providing a place for young people to study.”
She also told the chamber that the hall could become a resilience centre for residents to use during future power cuts.
Sea Cadet Hall transfer ‘worth the risk’
North Kincardine councillor Catherine Victor urged the committee to give the group the “benefit of the doubt” and approve the proposal.
“Having a youth club in Stonehaven is really important,” she stated.
“They’ve been successful up to now, I can’t see any reason why we would doubt that they won’t put everything into making this asset transfer a success.”
Fellow ward member Mel Sullivan agreed, saying the plan was “worth the risk”.
The committee’s new chairwoman Sarah Dickinson also backed the plan, saying the idea to help young people “has to be welcomed and encouraged”.
As the group’s unanimous decision went against officer recommendations, the request will go before the business services committee for final determination in the new year.
Following the meeting, KMYC chairwoman Dawn Black said: “I am delighted that the committee saw the potential of the project and the facilities that we could create.
“They see the value of having such a centre for the young people of Stonehaven and the wider area.”
Dawn is hopeful they will get a “positive result” for the lease.
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