Published: Thursday, 28th May, 2009 7:00am

Community workers target cafe for youths

Comments (0) | Print | Email

COMMUNITY workers have targeted a soon-to-be-vacant High Street bistro as the ideal site to house Dunbar"s first dedicated youth cafe.

It is understood the owners of Graze Cafe are set to relocate to the former Tasty Bite building this summer, leaving the remaining 30-month lease at the outlet up for grabs. The cafe"s management team has approached community workers about taking over the lease.

Since the 1980s, a series of attempts to set up a High Street youth cafe have foundered – including a bid to rent the Corn Exchange – but council development officer Jo McNamara believes this long-term goal could be realised, providing sufficient funding can be raised.

'This is the best chance we have had of securing premises because we have never had an actual venue, before now, that didn"t require a lot of work done to it,' said Mrs McNamara. 'And we do not have to apply for change of use as it was a cafe already.'

Dunbar Community Council heard last Monday that about £10,000 per year would be required to rent, staff and stock the facility for use as a youth cafe.

Members agreed in principle to redirect grant aid previously destined for the Countess Youth Centre (£670 topped up to £1,000) to help boost the youth cafe deposit. It is understood that a further £1,000 could be available from a council budget earmarked for youth provision.

Any potential youth cafe, said Mrs McNamara, would be managed by the newly established Dunbar Youth Trust – in collaboration with the Dunbar community – and would be staffed with community workers. Such a project could only be sustainable if at least three months" rent and costs could be found up front, she added.

A principle aim of a cafe for young people, said the council"s development officer, would be to attract youngsters who had previously been reluctant to attend the town"s existing youth facilities such as The Office and the Countess Youth Centre – both of which are expected to be phased out by September and January respectively.

Plans are in the pipeline, however, for a new community centre, with work expected to begin by May/June 2010.

Dunbar/East Linton councillor Paul McLennan agreed that this could be the best chance ever of establishing further youth provisions in the town.

'These are ideal premises,' he said. 'They are located at the end of High Street and are in good condition. A youth cafe in the town would be invaluable and we may never get an opportunity like this again for a very long time. We have been looking for a cafe for 15 to 20 years and the biggest hurdle was always finding premises.'