'Positive' progress over new boxing club venue

Plans to rebuild a youth and boxing club are moving in a "positive" direction, according to organisers.

The future of the Lifstan Boys Club in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, was thrown into turmoil when £1.5m of government funding for a new building was withdrawn.

But with the grant reinstated, architects are working on an updated design for the replacement building, which the club says will provide boxing facilities as well as dance and yoga classes, and host CV workshops.

The existing building – which dates back to the 1960s – is earmarked for demolition in March, with the new one set to open in spring 2027.

Lifstan Boys Club has been running since the 1950s and moved into its Lifstan Way premises in the 1960s, with Southend Amateur Boxing Club joining a few years later.

A pre-fabricated building, it was meant to last for only 30 years, and its roof and floor were too costly to maintain or repair.

The £1.5m grant for a replacement building was secured from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of its Youth Investment Fund, which was managed by Social Investment Business.

The grant was pulled in summer 2025, but after weeks of campaigning – including writing to the culture secretary – the decision was overturned.

Jay Solder, deputy county director at the Essex Boys and Girls Clubs (EGBC) – an umbrella organisation which secured the grant – said that since the funding was reinstated, a new design team had looked at the original plans before proposing a more cost-effective design, which will include solar panels, disabled access and landscaping to the surrounding land.

"It also gives the club more usable internal space so that they can accommodate a wider range of activities within the building, so that's a really positive development," he told the BBC.

Solder added that he was pleased that more local experts were now involved in the project, saying they "have a sense of what the club means to the local community".

"Some of the design team live within walking distance of the site and so they're keen to see something not only that is useful but… is visually appealing, as well as meeting the needs of the community," he said.

Discussions were ongoing with DCMS over whether any additional funding would be required, Solder said, because the original costings were done nearly three years ago.

"The agreement at the moment is we have until 31 March 2027 to complete the project, but what they have also said is they understand that on building projects timings are never fixed, and they're aware of the situation previously," he said.

"What they've said is that they won't let this project timeout... and that they are conscious around cost and so are prepared to do whatever they can to support the project and make sure it becomes a reality."

The BBC understands that a planning application is likely to be submitted by the end of January.

Southend Amateur Boxing Club has been using a dance studio a couple of miles away as its temporary home.

Volunteer staff were concerned as a month's rent in the studio was the same as a year at Lifstan, but £100,000 of the £1.5m grant has been put aside to cover such costs.

"Everyone's just really excited, really looking forward to it," said Danny Neville, head coach at the boxing club.

He said the new building would make "a huge difference", with separate halls and training areas allowing them to better coach people of different abilities.

"We'll be doing other stuff asides from boxing as well – dance, yoga, CV workshops, we're thinking about a soup kitchen," Neville said, adding that they were keen to "give back to the community a little bit as well".

Stephanie Peacock, the youth minister, said she was "pleased that this government was able to recommit over £1m to this local boxing club that does fantastic work in the local area".

She added: "I was pleased to meet with members of the club in Parliament to hear first hand of the work they do to transform young lives locally."

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