More than 150 new homes earmarked for two key Melton sites

The borough council has suggested the developments as part of its new corporate strategy aims to maximise the value of its assets for the benefit of residents.

But the proposals at Phoenix House - for either a 66-bed extra care/sheltered/retirement facility or a mix of 40 one and two-bed apartments for the private rented sector - will mean the relocation of tenants including The Venue youth club, which is enjoyed by dozens of young people from the town and surrounding villages.

And Melton Learning Hub, which manages The Venue, has this week sent out an SOS to the community for suggestions for a suitable alternative building to hold their sessions in.

The council has offered to house the youth club at the The Cove or The Edge community centres in the town but Hub chair, Pam Posnett, said the buildings were not appropriate.

She told the Melton Times: “We’ve been told we will have to move out of Phoenix House early next year so we need to quickly find a suitable building to keep The Venue going.

“Ideally we need somewhere central in Melton which is easy to get to.

“We have put a new kitchen in there and a gym and it was an ideal location for us.”

The Venue, which has been closed during the pandemic, offers activities for youngsters such as pool and darts, discos, movies sessions and free use of gaming and computer equipment, as well as support workshops for vulnerable children and teenagers, on evenings and at weekends.

Mrs Posnett added: “We’ve been able to employ two youth workers through receiving a grant and the young people love going to The Venue.

“For many youngsters it’s a safe place to go to meet their friends and also interact with social workers in a relaxed setting so it is important we are able to carry on with it.”

The development was discussed yesterday (Wednesday) at a borough council cabinet meeting where Councillor Alan Pearson argued that the authority would be better off holding on to Phoenix House as a community asset.

He told cabinet colleagues: “I do feel we need to be careful with this, I would prefer to hold on to assets like these rather than selling off or developing in a low market and in difficult times.

“The Venue does incredible work with our youth and we need to handle them with respect.”

A report which went before members stated that Phoenix House costs £51,000 a year to run and that the council was making a loss or, at best, breaking even with the building.

It also points out that Phoenix House is underused and that many organisations had opted instead to use superior office accommodation across the road at Pera Business Park.

The report says the council has been in discussions with tenants to relocate them and in the case of EMAS, DVSA and Enterprise Cars they can be accommodated in the council’s Parkside offices off Burton Street.

Redevelopment of the site for either homes for elderly people or for private rented apartments would be ideal, it states, because they would be in a sustainable town location close to amenities.

Deputy leader, Councillor Leigh Higgins, said they were not dicussing the sale of the building at this stage but merely assessing the development potential of the site.

Existing tenants were being fully consulted, he said, and alternative bases would be investigated for them.

But Councillor Higgins emphasised that it was not a cost-effective asset and by developing the site it would release substantial funds which could be fed into other services in the borough.

The proposed livestock market development would take place on the north of the site, with 90 homes built in two stages on land covering six acres.

The report indicates the vacant site would be suitable for retirement or extra care living, students accommodation or private sector apartments or homes for sale or rental.

It is estimated the land could be sold for between £2.5million and £3million, subject to planning permission.

Phoenix House and the livestock market were two of the eight key sites the council commissioned research into for their development potential.

Back in April, the cabinet agreed to accept £500,000 of Business Rate Pool (BRP) funding from Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), to be matched by an allocation of £375,000 from the council’s capital programme to progress possible redevelopment schemes.

The council’s scrutiny committee will get a chance to examine any decisions made by the cabinet on developing the two sites.