Palmerston Residents Association And Inverary Community Group Says we want the Sea Cadets For The Sydenham Area

The Palmerston Residents Association And The Inverary Community Group are fighting to save the Youth Club on the Palmerston Road In Sydenham Belfast Northern Ireland. We have seen our area under immense developer Interest with planning being granted on many developments we are now seeing the prospect of one of our community facilities being torn down for community development of 6 Apartments. We have seen this facility lying in a state of decay for the past 2 years now, not by the fault of the community but by the fault of who let it be built and included asbestos, we have seen our youth in the area having no neutral space to claim as there own until the Belfast TS Formidable Sea Cadets. They have been trying for the past 2 years to get this building as it was originally built for the youth of the area. The cadets began negotiations with the BELB to try and acquire the building as a Sea Cadet Training Centre, the cadets became aware of the difficulties other community groups where having in the area and formed a partnership with Inverary Community Group who stated an interest in having access to the building at certain times of the week for their work. The Sea Cadets have certain funding in place but were told by a third party in October and by the BELB in December they wanted £400000.00 for the site. The refurbishment costs required to the building is in the region of £150000.00 with the removal of the asbestos being priority. We ask the BELB and our local councillors and MLAs why this was allowed to happen. The Ts Formidable Sea Cadets have been in East Belfast since 1943 bar the last three years when they have been meeting at Kinnegar Cadet Training Centre in Holywood, whilst attempting to secure new premises in the East Belfast Area. We as a residents association and the Inverary Community feel that what the Sea Cadets can bring are vital for the Youth in the area. We look to the BELB as the education Department to draw back on any plans to sell this facility and make it available to the youth in the area. We also look to them as an education Department to put the youth in the area before money we see you have great opportunity to give the youth of the Sydenham Area and East Belfast something that will help them to build their character in adult life and will help them understand the meaning of control in their lives. If the Department fails to safe guard this centre for the youth in the area, then it fails the youth of the area of education and training for future life. We look to our councillors and our MLAs to stand up for the Youth in the Sydenham Area and make sure this centre stays in place for the Youth Of the Area. To us this should not be an issue we should not have to be protecting our youth from losing this centre as a place for education and learning. Our councillors, MLAs and Eductation Department should be doing this for us, after all that is why they are in the positions they are and elected to Government this is our young peoples lives and we want them to have every opportunity that they can to make them better citizens and better prepared for their future and the Sea Cadets can do this, we should be thanking the sea cadets for wanting to come to the area.