UK Youth celebrates planning approval for new sports centre at Avon Tyrrell Outdoor Centre
CHARITY leaders say they are delighted after plans to build an indoor learning and sports facility on the Forest got the green light.
UK Youth, which operates Avon Tyrrell Outdoor Centre near Bransgore, was granted conditional planning permission to build the facility on the site.
The proposal, approved by the national park authority, will see an “under-used and poor quality” storage building demolished and replaced with an “experiential learning and sports centre”.
Planned features for the new single-storey sports centre include a full-size sports court, a separate climbing facility and a training room, alongside a break-out and refreshment area and changing rooms. The charity said the new facility will promote the use of the site, which offers camping and lodge holidays, all year round.
A planning statement submitted to the NPA said: “Avon Tyrrell receives 39,000 visitors annually. As there is no existing purpose-built indoor facility at the site, the site is more intensively used during warmer months.
“The new development is needed to allow existing visitor numbers to be ‘smoothed across the year’. This would allow the outdoor centre to operate more sustainably and, in particular, better protect the natural and historic environment of the site.”
UK Youth’s director of outdoor learning, David Watts, said: “Young people sit at the heart of our work at Avon Tyrrell. Our Experience, Learn and Develop model ensures we support young people’s development of socio-emotional skills when they visit, utilising outdoor learning and youth work principles.
“We believe experiential outdoor learning gives young people the chance to develop life skills, including improved communication, motivation, teamwork and resilience, and building character.
“This development is a key part of the mitigation needed to allow the charity to continue its work to conserve and, where possible, enhance the Manor House and registered park through better management of their use throughout the year.
“The centre will allow visitor numbers to be ‘smoothed’ over the year, to avoid peak use in the summer and to remove wet weather and evening activities from the Manor House altogether and avoid the impact to the parkland during extreme wet weather conditions.”
UK Youth has now launched an appeal to fund the development and proposed restoration of the Manor House at the heart of its site.
A UK Youth spokesperson said Avon Tyrrell, which it has operated since 1946, is dedicated to providing young people the “opportunity to experience, learn and develop through outdoor learning in a natural environment to improve their life skills”.
They continued: “It supports equitable access for all young people and is proud to be a leader in the use of outdoor learning to transform the lives of young people and communities.
“Operating on the principles of Experience, Learn and Develop, it offers residential and day experiences for educational and youth organisations and families – with accommodation in a Grade I-listed Manor House, lodges or camping - featuring activities such as archery, bushcraft, canoeing, climbing, abseiling, high ropes, orienteering and mountain biking.”
