Darwen Youth Centre

Darwen Youth Centre is located in the heart of Darwen town centre, on Gary Aspden Way, and has provided support and facilities to the young people of the borough since it opened in 2010.

As part of a wider £8m funding plan secured through the Government’s Youth Investment Fund, alongside council investment, Youth Zone contributions, and backing from local businesses, the £4million Youth Centre Transformation doubled the size of the facility, adding a brand new first-floor and external spaces.

The site is next to the Darwen Town Centre Conservation Area, comprising of stone buildings and areas of special interest, such as the library and theatre. It is one of five schemes across the borough to benefit from the new funding over the next few years, and the first major development project which Seddon has undertaken in the town.

Internally, the building has a DJ Room, salon, music studio, gym, wet room with hoist access, locker space, communal pool tables, and a gaming cave as well as staff rooms. There is also adjustable creative spaces inspired by the Making Rooms, a community-focused makerspace in Blackburn.

It will be open seven days a week, including at weeknights, weekends, and school holidays, as a hub for the young people in the area, and will also provide free warm food for members.

Over 350 young people are already members of Darwen Youth Zone, and it is hoped this number will more than double with the new, larger and more flexible space.

Works

Favourable weather conditions up to the end of September 2025 enabled significant progress on the external envelope, with the completion of CP boarding and insulation installation for the cladding works. Roof cladding was installed to the maximum extent possible, and internal partition installation, first-fix M&E services and fire-stopping works were completed.

Windows were fully installed and glazed, and curtain walling commenced at the beginning of October, followed by ground floor brickwork and second fix partitions, followed by closing up the building, completing the flat roofs, and transitioning into the fit-out phase.

Issues

The site was incredibly tight for the larger new build centre compared to what was on site previously, meaning all available space had to be maximised. Darwen was once a key mining town, and therefore the risk of building on or near mine shafts in the area is high. 

There were five mine shafts around the vicinity, so steel boards had to be placed over them to ensure the MUGA pitch would be stable and safe for use. 

The Coal Board had a key lift shaft at the corner of the MUGA, meaning close collaboration and stakeholder engagement was required to ensure this was made safe but was accessible for future use if needed.

Bad weather during the winter months, joined with final design issues requiring finalisation, meant the programme slipped by around four weeks. However, given no plastering was needed due to the lining, and no ceiling work was needed, as the design meant the steel frame was on show, the programme was soon brought back under control once the building was watertight.

Further delays occurred when the weather over winter was a challenge.

Sustainabilty

Solar PV panels were installed onto the roof, which will reduce the cost of running the building, and ensure a more sustainable building with reduced emissions - important for the town centre positioning. 

Dry heating AC and ventilation meant no radiators or other heating elements, ensuring heat can be more consistent and even throughout the building, with the ability to heat or cool the building quicker when needed, and resulting in simplified maintenance and control.

The team managed to achieve their air tightness target on the first shot at the end of January 2026, requiring a 5 and hitting 4.79, with no re-test or searching for gaps required.

The team ensured the building was sealed and ready, with the process starting during construction of the building shell, with attention to detail on the roofing, SFS system, windows 
and curtain walling. This was as a lot of areas were incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to access later in the build.