PUBLIC enthusiasm for a proposed new sports centre in Malton remains high, says Ryedale district councillor Paul Andrews, and he has produced a petition to prove it.
The petition, which he submitted to the consultants appointed by Ryedale District Council this week, dates back to 1999, when the last consultation on the idea took place.
"There are 700 names, from Malton, Norton and further afield, and I would say that less than one in 20 people asked didn't want to sign it, because the public feeling at the time was very much in favour of the sports centre, " said Coun Andrews.
He believes the public still wants the centre, and says the best site for the centre is at Malton School.
"Ryedale District Council always said it would build three sports centres – one in the north, in Pickering, one in the south at Monk's Cross, and a third in the centre, in Malton, but we always knew it would never be viable unless it was built in partnership, and the obvious partner is a school, " he explained.
"Norton College hasn't got the land and has never been particularly interested, and Malton School has 1950s sports facilities and is desperately in need of upgrading. It has always been very interested in the partnership and, in my view, you are not going to get lottery grants unless we build on a school site." He added: "When it comes to running costs, if it is used during school hours, when the public are unlikely to use it, they will use it 40 per cent of the time, therefore, pay 40 per cent of the running costs. If you place the site anywhere else, it will be lost to a fitness company and the whole community will lose out; instead of having a facility for everyone, we will end up with a commercial fitness suite." At a full district council meeting last month, Conservative members abstained from voting in favour of the site because they were concerned that only 50 people had attended a consultation exhibition at the Milton Rooms, and 20 of those were thought to have been councillors and officers. Group leader Coun Keith Knaggs said he was concerned that more money would be spent on consultants' fees on top of the £64,000 which had already been used.
Coun Andrews said some councillors were also concerned that the new centre would be in competition with other centres in the area, including the one at Swinton, adding "It's as petty and parochial as that. The town needs a sports centre, the district needs a sports centre and above all the school needs a sports centre, " he said.
Picture Caption: PUBLIC BACKING: Coun Paul Andrews prepares to hand over a petition in favour of a sports centre |
