Youth worker Andrew Clarke fights to stop council selling off Studley youth centre

A STUDLEY charity founder is pleading with the county council to let him use the village’s youth centre building rather than put it up for sale again.

Andrew Clarke, of Studley Youth Foundation, said he would be willing to take on the centre in the High Street and, with the help of the community, turn it into a hub.

However, Warwickshire County Council, which failed to find a buyer for the building at auction is set on selling it.

Andrew told the Herald that he has a business plan which would see him lease the centre from the council with the chance to buy the building, at a reduced rate, after four years.

“The youth centre has got a lot of stuff that we could use,” Andrew said. “It will take some money but there’s a court there, a basketball
court, a multi-sports court that we could use.

“There’s plenty of room to have as many kids in there as we need. I would run it as a business and be very successful, but Warwickshire County Council will no longer talk to me.

“And from what I’ve heard from the local county councillors is that they want to sell it, but they want to sell it for market value.”

A council spokesperson confirmed that was the case – the council, like many other local authorities, is having to make cuts to balance its budgets.

“The site of the former Studley Centre was declared surplus to Warwickshire County Council’s property requirements in November 2020 and was initially listed for sale by auction,” the spokesperson
said.

“While this initial marketing of the property was not successful in securing a sale, in line with the governance supporting the disposal of a property asset from the council’s estate it will be re-listed on the open market and we are in the process of securing an agent to manage this process.

“In the meantime we would be happy to talk to any potential interested parties.”

Andrew, a former Studley parish councillor, added that he has been left frustrated.

“It just seems a bit crazy when the community could use it,” he said. “I mean, I’m literally here saying, give it to me, I need it. I’ll turn it into a profitable business and make it a community thing. But they’re
just not interested.

“I had meetings with them back in 2023 and they were really up for it. And then the people who I was dealing with have all left the council now. I’ve emailed them loads of times an they just ignore me now. It’s really frustrating.”

Andrew added: “I’ve been fighting for this for three years and I’m no further ahead and they haven’t even done anything with it. And it’s just ridiculous.

“The community would benefit from it so much, yet it feels like Warwickshire County Council just don’t care. I generally believe that if I went to the community and said I need help with painting or doors or roofs or whatever, I’d be flooded
with people to help.

“We obviously want to start running more youth things, but we're getting to a point where, if I’m being honest, we need to decide whether or not we can continue to do this.”