A group that provides leisure opportunities for youngsters with disabilities and additional support needs (ASN) has been granted the lease of a building in Glasgow’s West End.
Glasgow City Council (GCC) approved a 10-year lease of the Southbrae Centre in Jordanhill to Buddies Clubs and Services (Glasgow West) Limited on Thursday, October 9.
The charity was set up in 1995 and provides community-based play, leisure, social and recreational opportunities for children, young people, and adults with disabilities and ASN.
Buddies, which helps around 200 families, offers this service in addition to the mainstream nursery facility.
They aim to develop independence, choice, and the opportunity to be valued as individuals, allowing children, young people, adults, and their families to lead as ‘normal lives as possible’.
The Southbrae Centre is described as a modern single-storey building on the corner of Southbrae Drive and Anniesland Road.
It was refurbished by the local authority in 2019 for the purposes of a children’s nursery or early years facility and was fitted with ancillary accommodation, including toilets, office spaces, kitchens, and storage.
GCC noted that in June 2019, it approved the early learning and childcare flexible rental policy in support of the early learning & childcare strategy.
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This meant that council facilities could be leased to approved service providers and set out a framework of rental concession categories based on location and the nature of the service provider.
The Southbrae Centre was identified as a suitable facility to be leased under this policy and following a competitive bidding process in early 2020, to operate and provide early learning and childcare services at the centre, Buddies Clubs and Services was the successful bidder.
We previously reported that the charity had already been operating from the property due to a previous agreement with the council.
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In 2021, it was agreed that Buddies would be granted a ten-year lease for £27,500 per annum, but the proposed lease was never entered.
This was due to the service raising issues regarding maintenance liabilities.
Since then, Buddies has been providing a service not exclusively related to the provision of ELC, with services being provided for children, young people, and adults with disabilities and ASN.
As a result, a review was carried out and an amended annual rent of £22,000 was proposed.
Being granted this lease allows the charity to continue to deliver its services to a wide range of people who benefit from them.
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