A NEW community space at a Mossley playing fields can bring more to the area, after six years of planning.
And work on the old changing rooms at Egmont Street to create Lock 12 may start sooner than expected.
Works4U have taken on the long-closed facility and will knock it down before replacing it with a café and area that can hold functions.
Initially, it was hoping to refurbish the current structure. However, surveys deemed it must come down.
Now after public consultation was held at the Big Play Day event held at Egmont Street, work will begin in the coming weeks.
Lisa Buckley, Works4U’s community liaison manager, said: “This has been six years in the making and we’re so excited about it.
“All the plans have been approved and now we know who our builder is, we’re going to be putting spades in the ground soon. We’re hoping it’s going to be open by spring.
“As things stand, it’s a case of knocking down the existing structure and replacing it with the new one.
“Work is going to be starting literally in the next couple of weeks. We’re all go now and the whole idea for us being at the Big Play Day event was we’re opening the café, but we also want the community to have a say in it.
“The bigger picture was to ask people what sort of events they’d like to see in that community space and do they want to use that space themselves?”
Works4U took on Egmont Street pavilion – with the hope the new structure will be up and watertight by November – and added it to venues like The Lock in Stalybridge.
The Lock 12 name comes from its location close to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and as well as creating the café, the educational organisation wants to provide training in hospitality skills.
And the fact it is in a different town only lent to its allure.
Lisa added: “There’s nothing like this in this area of Mossley and it’s going to be bringing opportunities for people to actually work with us.
“There’s obviously volunteering for our students, then paid work if they’re working at the weekend, so it’s a real community-spirited but we want it all to be for the community.
“Everyone’s really excited and has been very positive about it. The space isn’t just for Works4U, it’s for Tameside.
“The Lock in Stalybridge has gone from strength to strength, especially with the free afternoon teas that we do for pensioners every other week. It’s also being used for dementia groups.
“That’s a great model and that’s what we want to replicate here.
“Most of our sites are in Stalybridge, so it’s nice we’re spreading our wings a little bit. With this being in Mossley, it’s a different vibe but we’re super excited about it.”