Closed community centre spends thousands on repairs

Leaders at a community centre that has been closed to the public for almost half a year said they had spent thousands of pounds on repairs to try to get it reopened.

Nottingham City Council ordered the Marcus Garvey Centre in Lenton Boulevard to shut over fire safety concerns in December, and told staff it would organise the necessary repairs.

However, those that run the community centre said they were "left in limbo" as months went by and no repairs were made, and they have now spent £5,000 on work to get it back up and running.

The council said it was "committed" to finding a long-term solution for the centre and the building.

The centre is based in the Howitt Building at the Lenton Business Centre (LBC) and has been a core part of Nottingham's Afro-Caribbean community for more than 40 years.

It is home to a ballroom, and provided day care services for the elderly.

The LBC was previously home to about 70 businesses but in February, these were forced to permanently vacate the site as the council could not afford to repair the building.

At the time, staff at the centre told the BBC it was "worried about its future" after seeing what happened to the businesses.

Tyron Brown, who runs the centre, said he has concerns about how much the repairs will cost overall.

He said: "We don't have a bottomless pit of money - and we've already spent thousands of pounds and need to spend more to get everything sorted.

"The council is in a difficult financial position and we were willing to pay for the work ourselves to get it done."

To ensure the site can reopen, the centre needs to replace existing fire doors, and fix leaks that pose safety risks on the site.

Repair work started this month but the centre still has no confirmed reopening date.

Mr Brown added: "Vulnerable people are missing out. We gave our elders from the Windrush generation a place to come and socialise - where do they go now?

"The longer it remains closed, the more time we are depriving the community of a necessary service."

A city council spokesperson said: "Extensive surveys are being carried out by external contractors to identify the full scale of the issues affecting the building.

"Once these have been completed, we will be in a position to consider the best way forward with partners and the community."

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