PRUDHOE community partnership has unveiled plans to redevelop one of the town’s most prominent buildings.

The partnership’s chairman, George Hepburn, presented ambitious proposals for a £2m redevelopment of the East Centre on Front Street at the latest meeting of Prudhoe Town Council.

The move would see a new building created as a purpose-built hub for the town’s young people.

The county council announced it would sell the centre in 2018, but a report by the town council earlier this year found it could not afford to repair the buildings.

But the community partnership has now proposed to demolish the existing Victorian buildings and create a new building that will more economical to run.

Mr Hepburn admitted the project was ambitious. He said: “Following consultation with young people, the Prudhoe Community Partnership is hoping to redevelop the East Centre as a hub for young people to be used by a number of different groups working with young people in Prudhoe, notably Prudhoe Youth Project and Mortal Fools.

“It’s still some way off. We would need to consult people; we would need to raise the money, and agree an asset transfer with the county council. We believe that the young people of Prudhoe deserve a state-of-the-art centre for their activities.

“This is an ambitious project that will take some time to bring to fruition, but we are doing everything possible to do so.”

Mr Hepburn told Prudhoe Town Council that the partnership would need to raise £2m, and that the new centre would not be up and running until at least 2022.

He said that designers Newton Architects would have preferred to keep the existing buildings, but were under the impression that it would not be economically viable.

Residents of Prudhoe will be able to have their say at a public consultation at the East Centre on Wednesday, January 8 and Thursday, January 9 from 7pm and on Saturday, January 11 from 10am.

Kiz Crosbie, artistic director at stage group Mortal Fools, welcomed the proposals.

She said: “Prudhoe’s young people deserve the very best provision we can offer.

“We are delighted to be working with colleagues at Prudhoe Community Partnership and Prudhoe Youth Project towards the development of a vibrant hub of activity for children and young right people in the heart of the town.”