Exciting plans for community facility under new ownership

Honiton's Community Use Building (CUB) at the bottom of School Lane is set to be handed to the community of Honiton in the new year in a welcome move by current owners, Devon County Council.

The CUB, previously known as 'Honiton Youth Centre' has been a key building in the lives of many Honiton residents over the past 40 to 50 years.

It is currently the home of Honiton Youth Club, The 729 Club, Honiton Parent & Toddler Group and the meeting place for many other community groups.

The recently formed Honiton Men's Shed is located in the grounds of this valuable community asset.

A new Charitable Incorporated Organisation, called 'Honiton Community Spaces', has been set up to take on the ownership of the building from Devon County Council.

Its membership is comprised of key people from the CUB users and other community representatives. This move will ensure the retention of the building for the town for many years.

We would also like to offer a huge thank you Honiton Town Council who, over the last 6 years, have consistently and wholeheartedly given their unanimous support to keeping the CUB for the community. This includes significant financial support for the initial start-up too.

As a result, Honiton Community Spaces will now be able to act as custodians of the CUB for the people of Honiton; holding the CUB freehold and the running the facility in collaboration with community partners for the people of Honiton.

Over the years the fabric of the building has deteriorated and needs considerable work to make it fit for purpose.

Fortunately, we have the skills amongst out team to make this happen. The intention is to have plans to develop the building available in the new year.

In the meantime, some essential work will help 'winter-proof' the CUB and ensure that the existing users and other community groups can make the most of the building.

We look forward to sharing more of our exciting plans in 2021.

Chair of the new organisation, Mike Jones, said: "We are grateful to the County Council for agreeing to pass the freehold of the building over to HCS.

"Honiton Community College has been managing the CUB since stepping in to ensure it remained open in 2014.

"Their professionalism and dedication remans invaluable and we look forward to retaining a close working relationship with them in the future."