Hobson & Porter tackled ‘very complex’ scheme to bring inspirational facilities to young people
Horizon Youth Zone in Grimsby(Image: supplied image)
Hull-based construction firm Hobson & Porter has won a prestigious award for its work on a pioneering new Youth Zone in Grimsby that has been named the region’s best refurbishment and revitalisation project. Horizon Youth Zone, which is part of the OnSide Network, won the award at this year’s Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards and will now be entered into the organisation’s national awards, which take place in October in London.
Hobson & Porter completed work on the £11.5m Horizon Youth Zone in November, with the facility opening in February. It now offers a safe and inspiring place for young people aged eight to 19, and up to 25 for those with additional needs, to enjoy their leisure time for just £5 annual membership and 50p per visit, with more than 20 activities taking place each evening.
Facilities include a large sports hall, an outdoor multi-use games area (MUGA), a climbing wall, music room with a built-in recording studio, performing arts space, maker zone with 3D printing equipment, arts and crafts area, boxing gym and fitness suite. Construction started in late 2023 and involved a vast spectrum of work.
Several large Grade II-listed 19th century maltings and grain store buildings, known as West Haven Maltings and Migar House, have been fully restored and repurposed. Part of a building also had to be completely rebuilt alongside the River Freshney, using a floating pontoon as a platform to access a river wall.
Decisions on the interior design including paint colours and artwork were led by the Young People’s Development Group (YPDG), made up of young people from across the local area. Joe Booth, pre-construction and business development director from Hobson & Porter, said: “Horizon Youth Zone is already proving to be hugely popular with lots of young people from across Grimsby and the surrounding area.
“It’s providing opportunities to engage in activities and develop new skills and reach their full potential, which is fantastic for everyone involved in the project. It’s also transformed several listed buildings and brought a large, disused site back into use, in what was a very complex project that included sensitive conservation phases, new-build sections, a huge amount of refurbishment work, lots of repurposing, river works and highway improvements.
“All this had to be carefully planned and managed throughout the two-year project. To win this award is therefore a brilliant achievement for our entire team and supply chain partners, and demonstrates our skill, craftsmanship and expertise when it comes to working on multifaceted and heritage projects.
“The judges recognised the project’s constrained site and praised the outstanding quality of workmanship and, most importantly, its incredible community impact, which is testament to the skill of the entire team that brought this exceptional project to life.” Lucy Ottewell-Key, CEO of Horizon Youth Zone, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the success of Horizon Youth Zone in its first five months and how well received it has been by the local community.
“However, it wouldn’t be possible without such amazing facilities in these stunning buildings and we’re all therefore delighted that it has been named as the region’s finest refurbishment and revitalisation project.” Horizon Youth Zone was delivered in partnership with North East Lincolnshire Council, which contributed to the development as part of the Greater Grimsby Town Deal, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, through the Youth Investment Fund.
Last month King Charles III visited Horizon Youth Zone and during the royal tour he met with young people taking part in activities, spoke with members of the Horizon team, and unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion. Capital funders of Horizon Youth Zone comprise Historic England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Architectural Heritage Fund, The Youth Investment Fund, Evergreen Life, St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation, Ørsted and Greencoats Wind UK.
Horizon Youth Zone has also established a family of Founder Patrons, comprising local organisations and philanthropists, who will support the Youth Zone during its first four years.
Did you know you can make Hull Live a preferred source of Hull news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here .