A DISUSED changing room building at a Mossley park can be turned into a ‘destination’ people want to flock to is a scheme proves successful.
Stalybridge-based Works4U wants to convert the structure at Egmont Street Playing Fields into a café operated by its students.
The idea has the backing of Mossley Town Council, which is keen to see something done.
And councillor Stephen Homer believes it can prove a huge addition to the area.
He said: “If this is done right, that place will become a destination. People would flock from all over the place to go there.
“You’ve got cycling with the Tame Valley Loop, the walking that goes past. You’ve only got to look down the road in Oldham with Grandpa Greene’s, you can’t get near that place at weekend.
“That place at Egmont Street is situated perfectly. If you can make that avenue for people to go to, Works4U will see a massive return on their investment.
“And it would be brilliant for the town as well. It’ll bring more people to Mossley and would open that space up to so much more.
“There’s all sorts you can have on those fields, apart from just the sports, and this will open that up. I think it’s a fantastic opportunity.”
Mossley Town Council received several expressions of interest in the Egmont Street building after inviting them.
Now Works4U want to finalise a 25-year lease with owners Tameside Council for a peppercorn rent so it can invest a ‘very considerable amount of money.’
Speaking as chairman of its advisory board, borough councillor Dave Sweeton admitted challenges are coming out ‘left, right and centre’ but insisted: “Our commitment remains in tact.”
But Norman Mackie, founder and co-director of the company, revealed his intentions.
He told the Town Council: ““Our intention is to refurbish it as a café with training facilities within it for our young people to gain skills in a real environment.
“I’m probably downgrading it by calling it a café. We don’t intend for it to just be a café. It will be a venue which will incorporate community use and parties.
“We expressed an interest in pursuing discissions with the Town Council about an involvement from us in Egmont Street.
“We had hoped we could persuade the council to do an asset transfer but as we’re private, that’s not possible.
“We’ve been talking a long term lease as it’s our intention to spend a very considerable amount of money on the building.
“We can’t invest in a building that doesn’t belong to us, only to discover in three years’ time the council wants it back.
“That lease would still allow us to invest quite a lot of capital and still get 20 years or so use out of it. We have a lease agreed and that’s now with Tameside’s legal department for their scrutiny.
“We’re hopeful it’ll be agreed soon and we can move forward.”
Works4U will work to try and upgrade Egmont Street’s children’s play area and involve those behind the Tame Valley Loop cycle route.
They would also install benches and bike racks and designs have been drawn up should everything get the go ahead.
And Mr Sweeton admitted: “Having had a survey done and knowing the inherent problems its got, we may as well have knocked it down and started again, we really may.
“We’re not, but it will look totally different. As soon as then design’s agreed, we’ll start preliminary planning negotiations so when we put it in, it’ll be absolutely right.”
The ideas were well received by other Mossley councillors, with Idu Miah saying: “I’m really optimistic about it.”
Chairman Frank Travis added: “What I’ve seen so far is exciting, competent and professional.”
Dean Aylett questioned how Works4U would get its investment back, to which Mr Mackie replied: “I probably wake up every night at 3am asking myself the same question.
“It’s a facility but one we hope to run as a commercial venture alongside the teaching and learning aspect of what we do.”
And Pat Mullin said: “It’s potentially enormously attractive as a facility. If we make it into a honeypot location where people can go, it’s got enormous potential and we could look at funding applications to support that.”