Preston’s prized Foxton Centre could be facing the bulldozers

Plans have been submitted for a brand new building to take the place of the existing youth club and community centre in the Avenham district of the city.

The Foxton charity, which has been operating from the Knowsley Street site since 1969, wants to provide a state-or-the-art complex offering indoor and outdoor facilities for both young people and adults.

The blueprint incorporates a two-storey replacement youth centre with a double height multi-use hall, a community kitchen, open plan offices, meeting rooms, an external sports area and improved car parking facilities.

It could also have a rooftop terrace and architects say the proposed new building would be "energy-efficient".

The existing Foxton Centre has been playing an important part in the community in Avenham for 54 years and has been a lifeline to thousands of people both young and old.

It started out as a youth centre in 1969 and expanded to offer essential support for the city's homeless, with meals, advice and assistance in getting people back into work and accommodation.

In January this year the Foxton opened a new homeless day centre for rough sleepers in the old Fox Street night shelter, offering food and laundry facilities for those living on the streets.

The complex which is planned to replace the current Foxton Centre would be open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 10pm on Saturday and Sunday.

A report to the Town Hall planning department says that existing staff of two full-time employees and three part-time would increase to seven full-time and 10 part-time to meet the expected demand for the new facilities.

The Foxton is a Preston-based charity with a long history and strong commitment to working in the local community with both adults and young people. In November 2018 it celebrated its golden anniversary.

The site once housed a Church of England school next to St James' Church dating back to the mid-1800s. From 1957 to 1971 it was a parish centre for the local community.