Sports zone goes ahead without consultation

Facilities for football, basketball, climbing and outdoor gym equipment arrive this spring after Rother District Council (RDC) committed 89,500 to the project at a Cabinet meeting on Monday without consulting the public.

The adiZone, named by project sponsors Adidas, the sportswear giant who designed the site, is destined for the grassy area beneath Bexhill Museum, next to the peddle-boats.

Goalposts currently on the grass will be removed and rehoused elsewhere in Bexhill.

The local authority ignored the standard process of consulting residents because of a short funding timescale - the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is giving 75,000 to Rother for the project.

Some councillors voiced opposition to the Egerton Park site being used for the AdiZone project, which is being rolled out across the country as part of government's work promoting the London Olympics.

Cllr Deirdre Williams said: "The park has been given over. It won't be the place of peace and tranquility it is now.

"I'm not opposed to it, I'm just opposed to where it's going. I'd rather have seen it in the Polegrove."

Head of Amenities Madeleine Gorman told councillors the recreation grounds at Sidley and Little Common, as well as Bexhill Downs, had been considered, but because of the proximity of residents Egerton Park was the only viable site.

Referring to the 150,000 Cllr Paul Osborne said: "It's good that we've had grant monies, but my only problem is it's basically an off-the-shelf kickaround area. Someone's doing pretty well out of it along the line. You could build a small house for that."

While Rother's grant application was singled out for particular praise by the DCSF, critics of the scheme weigh an ongoing 2,700 annual maintenance fee to be paid by RDC, and the loss of green space, against the healthy lifestyle benefits for Bexhill's community.

The three-month build is expected to start in spring.