A north-east fitness instructor is urging the public to have their say on a project that will benefit the town centre.
Creator of Shape Up Peterhead, PJ Coutts, is in the process of applying for a development grant with the hope of transforming the old Royal British Legion building in Peterhead into a multipurpose community centre.
Mr Coutts is in the process of applying for a development grant from the Scottish Land Fund and is looking for interest from the community to prove to this organisation that this is something people in Peterhead are definitely interested in.
Mr Coutts said: “I already have some ideas in mind, for example I’d like to see a youth club for kids to hang out. There’s a kitchen area and I think it’d be good to have cooking and nutrition workshops.
“However, as this will be something everyone will benefit from, I don’t want it to just be my say. I want everyone to come forward with ideas they’d like to see and I’ll eventually sit down with an architect and we’ll see what’s possible.”
The idea for this multipurpose community space first came to light when Mr Coutts was originally looking to find additional space for Fit Club – but soon realised other leisure groups were in need of a base as well. He said: “I don’t want this to just be about fitness, I’ve been in touch with various other groups who have also expressed an interest in using the space.”
Mr Coutts had a consultation with the council a few months ago and said: “I was told it was easier and cheaper to build a new building but it’s no use to anyone if it’s out in the sticks. The plan is to get more people in the town centre.”
He praised the work of Peterhead for Change and hopes a community centre will have a similar impact. He said: “That one little initiative has made a huge difference so of we have this thing where there’s reasons to go into town regularly then it’s going to increase footfall into shops, it’s inevitably going to benefit everyone so that’s why I was set on the legion.”
If successful in receiving the development grant, Mr Coutts hopes to have the new facility ready for public use for April 2021.
To share your ideas for what you’d like to see in a multipurpose community centre, contact the Shape Up Peterhead Facebook page.
