New House Youth Centre Goes Up For Sale

The New House Youth and Sports Centre on Chalkwell Road, closed as a result of Kent County Council budget cuts in late 2023, has gone up for sale.

The Freehold building is For Sale by Online Auction set for Thursday 6th February by Clive Emson Land & Property Auctioneers, based in Maidstone. They have the property listed with a guide price of £500,000. 

The entire plot extends to 0.31 hectares (0.77 acres) and It is considered that "the buildings may be suitable for a variety of uses, conversion and/or redevelopment, subject to all necessary consents being obtainable" accoring to the auctioneers.

You can see the listing at: https://www.cliveemson.co.uk/properties/255/91

Locals were hoping that the centre could be brought back back to life by the KCC, after they received some direct funding from the Government recently but "it appears to be a loss of another great asset for young people and the local community" according to local MP Kevin McKenna.

He told SFM News "sites like this are essential for future citizen's and help to tackle anti-social behaviour. Whilst I appreciate the pressures local authorities are under, the rush to sell off assests such as this, whilst we are trying to restore local services across the country, seems shortsighted".