Don’t move our valued venues

The venue was filled to the maximum and all those present were very concerned about the future of our town’s leisure amenities.

I have lived in Littlehampton for 50 years and am a regular user of all the leisure facilities. I and my family have performed at the Windmill, been regular patrons of the venue and worked as volunteer, front of house, for various societies. We also use the swimming and sports centre regularly.

It was good to have an Arun councillor, Paul Dendle, at this meeting , as they had not been available at any of the leisure strategy road shows I attended during this very short, so-called, consultation.

A major fact that raised itself during the meeting was why Inspire Leisure is at present unable to invest in the Windmill, and in particular, investment in a digital projector.

It transpired that the reason Inspire Leisure had held back on funding was due to Arun apparently being unwilling to extend the few years left on the lease on the building.

Would Mr Dendle or any of his colleagues, as businessmen, be willing to invest in a business that has an insecure lease? This seems like a deliberate attempt to ensure that the Windmill complex fails and therefore can be sold off , thus depriving Littlehampton of an important cultural and social amenity.

Looking at the swimming and sports centre proposals, it seems odd to want to move it from its current excellent location for a seaside resort, being well placed for Littlehampton, Rustington and district residents. The expense in moving it should go on upgrading the great facilities it already has.

Why did Arun go to consultants for advice? It would have been better to ask people who live here what they think, rather than consultants who seem to have no idea of our needs but are quite happy to take £30,000 of our money. As the council has £31m in reserves, I suppose they only look at this as small change.

By the end of the meeting, it seemed that if Arun adopted these leisure proposals, Littlehampton had everything to lose and nothing to gain but flats and a budget hotel.

I want to be proved wrong. Now is the time for Arun to show that it does listen to its residents by keeping and maintaining the Windmill and swimming and sports centre in their present locations.

Martin Combes

Genoa Close,

Littlehampton