Youth councillors Sam Smith and Shannon McLean outside the old CRT building, in Blenheim, which is owned by the Marlborough District Council.

Blenheim teenagers may finally have a place to hang out, other than McDonald's, as an empty warehouse in town is pegged for their long-awaited youth centre.

The old CRT building on the corner of Kinross and Redwood Streets, owned by the Marlborough District Council and currently unused, has been earmarked for the centre by the Marlborough Youth Trust.

The trust projected alterations to the building would cost $468,000, of which it could contribute $164,000.

Youth councillor Shannon McClean pleaded the region's leaders to help fund the proposed centre during long-term plan submissions on Tuesday, saying it would be a safe, warm environment for students.

"[Students] can be doing something beneficial for their wellbeing and not just sitting around at McDonald's for three hours, which is the reality," Shannon said.

"The gap in youth services in Marlborough is evident and it's obvious that it needs to be fixed."

Trust chairman and Community Constable Russ Smith asked the council for a one-off payment of $400,000 to renovate the old CRT building.

This included almost $100,000 for any unexpected expenses.

The Marlborough District Council had already set aside $2 million for the centre, planned to be released in 2025, which would not be needed if the proposal for the funding of the centre was accepted.

The trust said commercial interest in the building would likely mean it would be leased by someone else before the funding was made available.

In its submission, the trust said the CRT building was perfectly located in relation to the town centre and other youth facilities, also saying the modifications were relatively low cost.

Smith said the building was ideal and the only option that was available that wasn't a new build, which would cost substantially more.

"The opportunity for us is that we have an existing building that's suitable for all aspects of youth development.

"The types of spaces that the building already has would be absolutely perfect as a youth centre"

In 2015, the Marlborough Youth Trust opened office spaces in the central business district, however the trust said it had already outgrown them and required additional space to grow and deliver on its strategy.

A long-term goal of the trust was to make a hub for the young people of the region after their HQ Youth Centre closed in 2012.

The submission for the long-term plan was accompanied by more 150 pages of signatures and comments in support of the centre.

The proposal included a music and recording room, kitchen and cafe, two large multi-purpose rooms big enough for indoor sports and an outdoor area with a portable 8-metre high, four-sided climbing wall.

The centre would also have permanent counselling rooms and offices for staff.

If approved, the youth centre would be ready within three to four months as the modifications were minor.

Smith said the introduction of the centre would not impact on any of the other programmes offered through the trust.

The council would consider all long-term plan submissions on Monday, with the plan adopted on June 28.