A £318,000 project to rebuild Tavistock Youth Café is looking ever more hopeful after West Devon Borough Council last week agreed a grant and a loan to cover the funding shortfall.

Members of the council's strategies and resources committee supported the application by the youth café for £15,000 from the community facilities funds associated with the Tiddybrook development. They also agreed the loan request of £15,000 over three years.

The committee was told that a £250,000 grant from Devon County Council was time-limited and unless all the funding was in place by the end of the March, the youth café could miss out. There have been other financial contributions from the Devon Youth Service, the town council and others.

The current youth café building on Pixon Lane is only six years old but due to poor foundations has suffered dry and wet rot, numerous repairs and is considered unfit for purpose.

A replacement two-storey building will be larger than the current one to cater for more young people, have improved disabled access, additional office space, a kitchen and more flexible space allowing more activities to take place.

Members heard that there was £35,000 remaining in the community facilities fund as part of the section 106 agreement with the developers of Tiddybrook, Redrow.

The young people living on the development had originally wanted a youth facility on site, but there was no land available to do it. Pixon Lane was about a 15-minute walk away.

Cllr Alison Clish-Green said there was a large number of young people living at Tiddybrook: 'The council has talked for many years about providing facilities for young people — this is a good opportunity to put our money where our mouth is.'

Cllr Ted Sherrell said it was a very worthwhile project: 'The youth café has been supported by many young people who have worked tirelessly over the years, along with their parents and support workers, and have done an exceptionally good job.'

He said they had been bedevilled by bad luck due to the poor building, but here was a chance to build something new for the future, and all young people from the town could use it because it was in a fairly central position.

County councillors Philip Sanders and Debo Sellis both said they had worked hard to get an extension on the grant from the county council but it was unlikely it would be extended again into the next financial year. Cllr Sellis has put her community projects funding of £10,000 into the scheme.

The committee was told that the young people were writing to local businesses to try and get the remaining funding needed so the loan would not have to be used. Numerous fundraising events were also being held.

Any donations will be gratefully received. Contact Naomi Salmon 01822 61713 or Victoria Lloyd on 01822 612851 if you can help.