A new leisure strategy for Stone by Stafford Borough Council states that an ideal solution for the town would be to build a new leisure centre on Westbridge Park, including a 25m swimming pool, to replace the ageing current facility.
Consultation experts are to be appointed to get the views of people in and around Stone on the leisure strategy, which goes before the Council’s Cabinet at their next meeting on Tuesday 6th November. You can see the full report to Cabinet and the Stone Leisure Strategy by clicking here – Stone Leisure Strategy
The leisure strategy says the cost of providing new facilities would be “significant” and would need “widespread public support” before going ahead with future investment. Neither the strategy nor report to Cabinet states how any new leisure facilities in Stone will be funded.
The strategy says the “optimum position” would be to relocate key elements of the sporting provision at Alleyne’s Sports Centre to a new, purpose-built facility at Westbridge Park, replacing the current leisure centre there. The new facility at Westbridge Park would include a 25m swimming pool. The report to Cabinet says Westbridge Park’s leisure centre was built in 1989 and only had a life expectancy of 12 years.
But the council’s leisure strategy for Stone, which people will be able to comment on shortly, also stresses a need for an area of open space to be set aside at Westbridge Park to accommodate community events like Stone Festival and the Food and Drink Festival.
Ian Thompson, borough council chief executive, said: “There is a significant cost involved in proposals to enhance the leisure offer in Stone and we want to be assured that it is what people who live and work in the north of the borough want before committing to future investment.
“I know this issue has received a lot of attention in and around Stone so I expect to see many views and comments from all sections and ages of the community who care about their area when this consultation gets underway.”
He added: “We have some excellent facilities serving Stafford – with the Leisure centre and fantastic new play area in Victoria Park for example – and we want to provide a similar quality of offer in the north of our borough.”
The cabinet is set to approve the appointment at a meeting on Tuesday 6th November, with the consultation expected in the New Year.
4 comments
Kris Grainger
Do we really want Stone to be more like Stafford? I don’t think so. Oh lets make every town in the world exactly the same then no one will need to travel cos every town will have the same chain shops and no sign of individuality or uniqueness. This will kill off all the tourism as no place will have any more appeal than anywhere else.
How about sorting out all the the empty shops in town first before you start building more! If you want to invest some money, put it into subsidising new and unique business ideas and lets get the existing town up and running!
Lets keep Stone unique and protect its tourist appeal.
RichardS
What a blatant and cynical smokescreen! No one should be fooled by this outrageous piece of hoodwinking!
The Borough Council will be hoping that the majority of the people in Stone will read this quickly and then be thinking that they will soon be getting a state of the art swimming pool and leisure centre on Westbridge Park – and that they no longer need to support the petition to “Keep Westbridge Park Green”.
Be warned! Be clear – the Borough Council’s only game plan is to put a supermarket on Westbridge Park. They never refer to it but it’s there in the documents on their website. Take a look The Plan for Stafford Borough on their website.
That’s the issue. It’s the onlyreal issue.The proposed supermarket is what is meant by the phrase “mixed use development” in their Plan
Of course, if the Council sell land for a supermarket on Westbridge Park they will be able to afford a new swimming pool and leisure centre – but only if they get the supermarket proposal through.
So don’t be fooled. If you think yo would like a new swimming pool etc. you will have to accept a supermarket as well. And if you do that, Westbridge Park has gone forever.
So the fight is not just to “Keep Westbridge Park Green” – it’s also a fight to “Say No to a Supermarket on Westbridge Park”