History

The Base, Ballyfermot Youth Centre and Childcare Facility Limited became a reality as the flagship project of URBAN Ballyfermot. When Dublin City Council was consulting on a proposal for submission to the E.U. for funding under the URBAN II Programme, it found that there was a huge need for a dedicated space for children and young people to go late at night and at weekends. It also found that a mix of facilities and unique activities under one roof, along with outreach activities would meet the needs of young people in the Ballyfermot area and fill the gap in youth service provision at the time.

On being successful in its bid for the URBAN II Programme, Dublin City Council acting as the Managing Agent for the URBAN programme, established a limited company to administer and oversee the delivery of an extensive range of measures to bring about social and economic regeneration in Ballyfermot. The Youth Centre was prioritised for funding under its Infrastructure Development Measure. This was very good news to the Local Drugs Task Force, who had in its strategic plan, identified the need for the project and had included it as a much needed project in its Strategic Plan 2000-2006. URBAN Ballyfermot provided significant seed capital funding which could be used to leverage additional funding required to make the project a reality.

The strategy taken to support the delivery of the project included engaging a CEO to oversee its development. The CEO was recruited in mid 2002 with the brief to make this project a reality. Funding for Arts and Music programmes as well as project administration funding was made available through URBAN Ballyfermot up to 2006.

There were a number of local organisations who played a critical role in supporting the CEO in securing the shortfall in capital and fit-out funding, including URBAN Ballyfermot Limited, the Ballyfermot Drugs Task Force, Dublin City Council, the Ballyfermot Local Development Group