A YOUTH hub that has been years in the making has finally been opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony. 

New Milton town mayor Alvin Reid cut the ribbon to officially open the new Ashley Youth Hub on behalf of New Milton Town Council at the recreation ground. 

Following years of planning and delayed building, enduring restrictions during the Covid pandemic, the official opening was a “welcome realisation of the council’s desire to provide youth services locally”, the town council said. 

The building works were funded mainly from developer contributions and formed part of the Ashley regeneration project which started with the playpark redesign with new equipment completed in 2022. 

The mayor said: “This is a very special occasion for the residents of New Milton and particularly those living here in Ashley. 

“Ashley Recreation Ground is a great community asset, offering green space for everyone to enjoy, a well-equipped play park for our young people, and the home ground for the successful New Milton Rugby Club.” 

The project also included environmental enhancements to the car park and the installation of a footpath to allow easy access across the recreation ground. 

The shops along Ashley parade struggled over recent years with the degradation of the pavement outside their businesses. 

Because of the complexities of shared ownership in this area, New Milton Town Council decided to lead the way and applied for grant funding to carry out resurfacing.   

Funding of £15k was received from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). That sum was matched from Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds.