Bulldozing ‘crime’

WITH regard to your story about Arun District Council’s leisure strategy (September 13), I assume that Colliers International are the same consultants that I seem to recall originally suggested the Littlehampton Swimming and Sports Centre should be demolished and replaced by a new leisure complex in the St Martin’s car park area?
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Oct 2012, 17:00 BST

I remember thinking at the time what a potty idea to build on the already congested parking area something which would bring even more traffic into the town centre than before! It also flies in the face of the policy of most local authorities to site leisure centres well away from town centres specifically to avoid traffic congestion. I sometimes wonder why Arun chooses to spend a six-figure sum of council tax payers’ money hiring a private firm of planning consultants, when there is already a town planning department at the council presumably doing the same job? Of the two leisure centre options suggested for Littlehampton by Colliers in their latest proposals, in my opinion the obvious choice must be option 2, to retain the existing centre and invest in additions and improvements.

A few years ago, Arun engaged an architect to design an excellent state-of-the-art sports centre as an extension onto the western end of the main block of the centre, to replace the substandard sports dome which, because of its absence of windows and insulation, also costs the earth to light and heat. Sadly, this brilliant proposal never materialised, but I hope it will be included in Arun’s final decision.

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This option would also enable solar panels to be fitted to the pitched roof of the main block, which could well supply most of the electricity to run the building, although the corrugated asbestos roofing would have to be replaced in the improvements programme.

Unlike option 1, moving the leisure centre to The Littlehampton Academy, the existing centre is ideally sited, well away from the town centre and from the built-up residential area surrounding the school. Currently, the priority use for the centre is mainly for the public, whereas the academy would obviously have priority for a new centre there.

A considerable sum has already been spent on improvements to the centre and I understand further improvements are in the pipeline in the near future. The interior and the timber ceiling and facing brickwork are aesthetically pleasant and modern-looking.

It would be a crime to allow the bulldozers to demolish such a lovely, well-designed local facility.

John Kerry

Emmabrook Court

Sea Road

Littlehampton

Related topics:Arun District Council