The Bronte is an inner-city youth centre who have continuously fought for their place on Liverpool’s map. Acting as the voice and defender of an intergenerational community, the centre was established to address the needs of the surrounding tenement housing residents and tackle local issues of disenfranchised youth.

The Bronte Youth and Community Centre was established in the early 1960s in the wake of the 1960 Albermarle report into youth service. Situated next to dense housing development, St Andrews Gardens, a need for youth provisions in the area was recognised and The Bronte thrived as a community hub. Since then, as high density social housing has been reduced in the area, the catchment size has significantly decreased, shrinking the number of regular users of the youth club provision. Alongside this, funding cuts have put increasing strain on third sector organisations to continue offering services whilst remaining financially sustainable.

The Bronte has survived on the passion of its staff, management, and volunteer- based board as it has become increasingly ringfenced by the surrounding universities.

HSA have been working with The Bronte and the surrounding community since 2017 to turn their vision of restoring this community and heritage asset into a reality. Through a range of consultations with both staff and users, and an evaluation of how the existing space is used, we developed an approach for The Bronte that not only addresses the physical structure of building and facilities, but also provides an overall strategy for how the centre can expand its offer and become more resilient. We helped them to write the funding bid which resulted in a successful £3.4m grant from the Youth Investment Fund.

The Bronte is a two-storey brick built mixed use building that is currently undergoing a deep retrofit. Including thermal upgrades, air source heat pumps, MHVR and solar PVs.

Our Passive House designer developed the sustainability strategy and worked alongside award winning MEP consultant Max Fordham to develop a scheme that is anticipated to achieve the UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard” (according to UKGBC, pilot version NZEB Standard). Externally the bio-diverse garden will be a green oasis in the city centre where children can forage, learn to grow food, play and explore. 

Engagement has been carried out through activation, with events and workshops to collaboratively produce a strategy for the future of the building. Involving the building’s user group from the outset has increased the community’s feeling of building ownership, and agency within the design process. 

The young people who use the youth services have co-produced the design and identity for the project as well as the programme of activities, facilitated by HSA and bringing in various creative partners. This has included designing a new font as part of the centre’s new brand identity, alongside creative agency Dutch Scot. 

We have also worked with photographers and writers to help tell the stories and document the journey of the refurbishment, drawing on social narratives and hidden stories that preserve the identity of the neighbourhood and are crucial for a sustainable future. 

We have also developed partnerships and facilitated discussions with stakeholders surrounding the site such as LJMU, Liverpool City Council, Riverside Homes and ward councillors. HSA have been a crucial partner and critical friend to the Bronte throughout the longstanding relationship, always acting to push forward the collective vision of the neighbourhood into an actuality.