Dearne Renaissance Centre

A former primary school building has been refurbished to create the Dearne Renaissance Centre, benefiting businesses and community groups as diverse as the NHS and Dearne Youth Theatre.

The result of a major project developed in the early stages of Yorkshire Forward’s Renaissance Market Towns (RMT) programme for the Barnsley Dearne Valley, the new space now comprises:

• a significant amount of office space
• flexible meeting spaces
• a computer suite
• kitchen facilities.

The centre is also delivering a number of ongoing benefits, including bringing together three community-based groups vital to the delivery of future projects in the area.

The Barnsley Dearne RMT programme

The villages of Bolton-upon-Dearne, Goldthorpe, Highgate and Thurnscoe came together as part of the Barnsley Dearne Renaissance Market Towns (RMT) programme. They are all former mining communities, with a combined population of around 23,000. The Barnsley Dearne Valley RMT programme was launched in 2006, to create a long-term vision for the area and to build on the work of the local Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder. A number of projects were soon being prioritised and developed as part of the creation of a sustainable development framework and business plan for the Dearne.

The new partnership’s structure

In order to purchase the building and to manage its ongoing operations, a new company was formed in April 2008: Dearne Partnership Venture Ltd. This brought together three existing groups which will be key to the delivery of the other 14 projects set out within the Dearne Business Plan (2008):

• Dearne Valley Venture (DVV) – a self-managed, community-led company limited by guarantee, and a charity. Originally, the venture only intended to help the unemployed back to work through lifelong learning. Having grown, and directly employing 11 people, it needed more space to develop its activities, so that it could remain financially sustainable without needing grant funding. It has over 35 member groups, and works across all three local authority areas in the Dearne (Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster).
• Barnsley Dearne Community Partnership (BDCP) – a company limited by guarantee, a charity, and a partnership initiated by Barnsley MBC. Through the co-operation and involvement of the local community, it works to:

- Create employment and opportunities through education, training and leisure
- Combat crime and the fear of crime
- Combat poverty and improve the social and physical environments in which we live
- Involve the community in the decision-making processes associated with social and economic regeneration.

• Barnsley Dearne Valley RMT Town Team – a community-based group formed in 2006 to develop a long-term vision for the Barnsley Dearne Valley, along with detailed implementation plans. The group is part of the RMT programme for the Barnsley Dearne Valley. As the RMT programme moved into delivery, joining forces with the other groups in order to provide a single regeneration focus in the Dearne Valley was seen as crucial to ongoing success.

Formally, the DVV and BDCP own Dearne Partnership Venture Ltd, and a temporary chair and company secretary have been appointed, along with six board members (three from each of the two owners).

The Barnsley Dearne Valley RMT Town Team never needed to be formally constituted, so bringing its people and activities into the new entity is more straightforward. It is important to ensure that those members of the team who were instrumental in the creation of the Dearne Valley Vision are kept at the centre of the project that began with the input of their time, ideas and ambition.

It is anticipated that in the future the three organisations will be amalgamated; however, the timing of this is yet to be established.

How the project began

In early 2007, as the initial phase of creating this vision was drawing to a close, an opportunity arose to acquire the former infants’ section of the Lacewood Primary School in Bolton-Upon-Dearne. The Dearne team had the idea of creating a focal point for the ongoing renaissance projects, all designed to being about physical, social and economic improvements to the area.

The idea was to create a project serving three main purposes:

• Providing business space
• Community use
• Bringing together three groups: the Barnsley Dearne Community Partnership (BDCP); the Dearne Valley Venture (DVV); and the Barnsley Dearne Valley RMT Town Team (see below). Space is provided on a full-occupation and temporary-use basis.

Encouragement for a ‘plan-fatigued’ community

From the community’s perspective, the project helped to see some visible benefit from the RMT programme during the year-long engagement process, and before finalising the Business Plan for the Barnsley Dearne Valley. It was an important demonstration of intent for the funding bodies, too. This was especially significant within this particular community, which has been subject to extensive consultation and has been the subject of many ‘plans’ since the closure of the mines.

Linking to the Barnsley Dearne Valley RMT Business Plan

The project, by virtue of its location and purpose, is also capable of being linked to the
development of projects set out in the Barnsley Dearne Valley RMT Business Plan, which is endorsed by stakeholders and the community.
These are:

• The Bolton Axis
• The Young People’s Hub
• Community Training Workshops.

The youth element of the usage profile is important, given the process of engagement with youth in the development of the Vision and Sustainable Development Framework during the RMT process.

The timeline

• The purchase of the school building was completed in August 2007.
• Refurbishment works were completed in April 2008.
• Occupation and use of the buildings commenced in early 2008.

The purchase funding

The agreement to purchase the former school building was agreed at a market level of £110,000. Funding to a level of £302,000 was
provided by the following:
Yorkshire Forward (RMT Programme) £120,000
Objective 1 £75,000
Coalfields Regeneration Trust £107,000

Pricing the space available for rent

• Commercial occupiers – large organisations, such as the NHS and the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, pay a full commercial rent. Others are subsidised; for example, the Dearne Youth Theatre pays a lower rate, but provides payback to the centre through assistance with fundraising.
• Community groups – the idea here is to nurture and encourage their development. For example, if approached by someone wishing to start a new activity at the centre, a few initial sessions are made available free of charge, until the group proves viable and rental charges then steadily increase.

Watch our short film about Dearne Valley Renaissance Centre

Key successes

• By opening the centre before the final business plan for the Barnsley Dearne Valley was signed off by key stakeholders, a tangible impact could be felt by the local community and gave them hope that the renaissance process could deliver benefits for them.
• The successful refurbishment of a 2,706 m2 site, in a sustainable manner, formed the focus for the renaissance of the Barnsley Dearne Valley.
• The BREEAM pre-assessment helped with making design decisions, and maximised the recycling of existing materials.
• The creation of a sustainable community partnership, which will provide strength and resources to the existing Barnsley Dearne Valley Town Team and play a key role in the renaissance of the Barnsley Dearne Valley over the short, medium and long terms.
• The setting-up of the Dearne Partnership Venture Ltd formally joined the activities of DVV & BDCP, but also allowed them to plan a full merger – including the Barnsley Dearne Valley Town Team – at their own pace.

Lessons learnt

• Finding the money to pay for a team to run the centre is not straightforward. The level of space and activities needed to deliver this income could have been explored in more detail in advance.
• It takes time to bring together people who have previously belonged to different community groups working to similar goals in the same area. Having a purpose for this (in this case, the building) makes it much easier.
• While the formation of the new company is proving beneficial, continuing to run the two companies which own it is very timeconsuming.
• Early financial support, and the attendant management assistance, has been important to the ongoing process of genuine community involvement.
• It has been important for existing community groups to engage with the process and with one another. The project has been a stimulus to the joint-funding of a project from three key stakeholders, and showed intent, action and results to the wider community.
• It is important to have a good relationship with the local authority. The government’s new asset transfer legislation allowed the council to discuss selling buildings to the community.

More about this success story

For further information, please contact:
Dearne Renaissance Centre
Priory Road
Bolton upon Dearne
South Yorkshire
S63 8AE

Joe Covey
Yorkshire Forward
Victoria House
2 Victoria Place
Leeds
LS11 5AE
0113 3949839
joe.covey@yorkshire-forward.com