Torbay Council
Facts and figures
Procured under the Construction South West Framework, Interserve was awarded a KPI score of 99 per cent at preconstruction stage, topped with a 100 per cent mark from the client for construction and handover stages of the MyPlace project.
MyPlace at Parkfield, a pioneering youth centre
Engaging with users of the facilities we create is a key ingredient of successful project delivery and underlines Interserve's commitment to sustainable development.
So when work began on an exciting new youth centre development in Devon, stakeholder consultation was priority and has helped make MyPlace the success it is today.
This consultation began right at the outset. Interserve not only worked closely with the client and the design team during design development and pre-construction, ensuring budget and programme constraints were met, but also with young people and the wider community. We appointed a young member of our own staff as community liaison officer, facilitating collaboration by all parties with the Council.
Resource for the young
As the name suggests, MyPlace represents a resource with which the young people of Torbay can identify. An innovative project, funded by the MyPlace Big Lottery Fund, it enables 13-19 year-old residents and visitors alike to benefit from a range of sports, outdoor pursuits, performing arts activities, educational opportunities and support services provided by local partner organisations.
The multi-faceted £4 million project, which involved new build and refurbishment works, comprises an indoor and outdoor skate park, BMX track, climbing walls, indoor multi-sports facilities, arts performance space for music and live bands, media suite, recording studio, training centre, changing rooms and offices.
Giving ownership to users
From the earliest days of the project, a group of enthusiastic young teenagers known as 'Bay6' – in consultation with up to 3,000 local young people - became involved in developing the centre's design.
Bay6 helped with the waved roof, which reflects the seaside location and pitched roofs to resemble beach huts. They also contributed their own ideas to the creation of a BMX track of international standard and a world-class skateboard park.
Community involvement continued with our team holding workshops on site for local students from Torquay Community College, South Devon College, and City College - in an Interserve-provided building aptly named "My Workshop" - enabling them to try their hands at activities such as engineering, bricklaying and roofing. A graffiti art workshop also proved popular, with the resulting artworks taking pride of place as permanent decoration in the complex.
World-class Olympic youth hub
The world-class facility is up and running. The BMX track is already proving its pedigree, with riders from all over the country having competed at the South West Open Championships, sponsored by Interserve, on what was described as "one of the best tracks in the country".
