YMCA to keep portable building as teaching provision

The premises on Badger Drive, facing Cannock Road just outside the city centre, is used as a 24-hour base for staff providing education and training for 22 young people aged 16-25 living in an adjacent building.

Badger Court is leased by Midland Heart, which is registered with the Housing Corporation as the social landlords. They have appointed the YMCA Black Country Group to act as their agents and to provide the housing management and support services required by the occupants of the building.

Whilst in residence, the young people are given structured training to provide them with job-ready and domestic living skills, which will enable them to sustain independent living when they move out into the community.

Granting approval, planning officer Andrew Johnson said: “The building appears to have been on site for a number of years. Notwithstanding this, its physical condition would not create undue visual harm to the surroundings. On balance, the proposals appear in scale and character with the setting.”

A statement from YMCA Black Country added: “The Portakabin is used almost daily as a training room and meeting room both for residents and external training providers. The project is currently working in partnership with a number of third-party training providers in addition to chaplaincy support to enable young people to gain the necessary skills to enter into education, training and/or volunteering.

“In addition, the Portakabin also enables us to provide the facilities to external organisations to deliver programmes and training to the wider community. The layout of Badger Court is very much residential in nature with only one communal area, which is not appropriate to use for training or meeting purposes as this is part of the young person’s home – and in any event, would not lend itself to be a suitable location for delivering training or holding meetings.

“Operating as a supported housing project, it is a requirement of our funding to provide support and training to all of our residents and by far the most effective way to achieve this is by on-site delivery.

“Temporary planning permission for the location of a Portakabin on the access court of the main building was first granted in 2002. Subsequent approvals have extended its presence on the site, and it has proved to be an essential part of the facilities provided for on-site training by the YMCA Black Country Group,” said the statement.

In the event of the Midland Heart lease being terminated, Badger Court would return to council management and the accommodation services provided by YMCA Black Country Group would cease. The temporary Portakabin would be removed and the site reinstated.