The need for redevelopment

We were able to present a viable scheme to residents at our public consultation in July last year; these proposals involved delivering private residential homes to enable the reprovision and enhancement of YMCA facilities and services on site. However, some concerns were raised about the height and materiality of the proposed new buildings.

YMCA St Paul’s Group and the project team have since taken further time to understand and, where possible, incorporate local residents’ feedback to ensure that the scheme is both viable and of benefit to the local community. It is crucial that we are able to redevelop the site to secure the YMCA’s future in Wimbledon, where we have had a home for almost 150 years.

Our Board fully considered whether YMCA Wimbledon could be refurbished rather than redeveloped. However, it became clear that simply renovating the existing building would lead to a reduction in the number of bedspaces, fail to match the standards our residents deserve, and would not be financially viable. Redevelopment of YMCA Wimbledon has therefore been identified as the only way to remain on site and offer a facility we can be proud of.

The deteriorating state of the existing building has resulted in significant ongoing maintenance costs, as well as sub-standard on-site facilities and accommodation. Our residents’ rooms are also much smaller than today’s standards allow, with most only around 10m2 and without private bathroom facilities. YMCA Wimbledon therefore urgently requires modernisation to help improve the delivery of our core aims: