Stafford Borough Council will consult on its leisure strategy for the town – which includes a plan for a new leisure centre on Westbridge Park – in the New Year. But the debate has already started. In this guest post, town councillor Rob Kenney – who started the Keep Westbridge Park Green campaign recently – says any new leisure centre should be at Stone Business Park instead.
You can read about the leisure strategy here by the way.
The document, Westbridge Park – Stone Leisure Facilities Strategy, indicates a need for a new sports and fitness centre, new football pitches and improved play facilities. The required size of leisure centre that is indicated in the report is the size of a football pitch and that is only the leisure centre building itself. It does not include a car park or any high quality play facilities for all ages.
Add the sizes of the new building, car park and play facilities together and it’s clear to anyone that such a development would not fit on the existing Leisure centre site or indeed in the area on the left hand side of Westbridge Park. To build such a development would mean having to encroach onto the area where the existing football pitches are, the area that is used by; the Stone Festival , Stone Food & Drink festival and other users.
The Stone Leisure Facilities Strategy states that it is designed to complement the emerging Stafford Borough local plan (The Plan for Stafford Borough). But another document that is used within the Plan for Stafford Borough is the Stafford and Stone Town Centre Capacity Assessment and it states:
“7.36 The Westbridge Park site offers the only edge of centre opportunity to deliver a major supermarket that would be able to address the current overtrading identified at the existing Morrisons store. The site is level and could accommodate a purpose built store with either undercroft or surface level car parking. If strong links with the existing town centre are to be encouraged then careful consideration will need to be given to the orientation of any development on the site including the entrance to the store.
7.37 Any redevelopment is likely to involve the removal and relocation of the existing leisure centre and the associated tennis courts, girl guides building and children’s playgrounds. WYG do not believe that demolition and the relocation of such uses would undermine the viability of any scheme in this locality. However, finding an alternative location may prove more difficult. The Council will need to carefully consider any potential relocation options if the site is to be released for redevelopment. There may even be the potential to re-provide these uses on-site.”
Both documents are heading in the same direction. It’s my belief that a supermarket would be also built on Westbridge Park to help fund such leisure developments.
Stafford Borough Council needs to make it clear what their intentions are with regards to retail development on Westbridge and not just highlighting the “sweeteners”. For a consultation to go ahead ALL THE FACTS need to be given.
Even without a supermarket the leisure building is so large that it would change the appearance of Westbridge Park and the view along our beautiful green corridor forever.
There is another solution: Keep and enhance the football pitches at Westbridge and create the changing facilities that are required, build new high quality play facilities on the left hand side of the park and develop the new leisure centre adjacent to Stone Business Park (an area already earmarked for employment land in the Plan for Stafford Borough).
Relocating the leisure facility to an extended Stone Business Park would fit the criteria of creating employment. It’s also within walking distance of Walton residents and on a major public transport route from Stone town centre and other surrounding towns. It is also nearer to Westbridge Park than the existing swimming pool at Alleynes High School.
By taking the above approach they would Keep Westbridge Park Green, allow Festivals and community events to continue, enhance play facilities and meet all the criteria set out in their Plan for Stafford Borough.
It could be paid for by using the New Homes bonus that the Borough will receive from the Government for the 800 new homes it has planned for Stone, the princely sum of nearly £7 million.
I hope that when the consultation takes place that it includes options to develop a leisure centre elsewhere and not just a” have it at Westbridge or not at all” attitude.
My message to Stafford Borough is “stick it elsewhere”.
Find out more about Keep Westbridge Park Green on their new website here.
- Keep Westbridge Park Green
- leisure centre
- Rob Kenney
- Stafford Borough Council
- Stone Business Park
- Westbridge Park
4 comments
Jill Hood
At Stafford Borough Council at a meeting of the scrutiny committee on Tuesday night, the majority of councillors voted to accept that £20,000 would be spent on a public consultation regarding Westbridge Park. I reported to the meeting that a petition would be handed in with over 4000 signatures stating we want to KEEP WESTBRIDGE PARK GREEN. The petition clearly states what the people of Stone want, we don’t need to spend £20,000 on a consultation . I liken the situation to the European commission, if the result they get isn’t the right one then the wording is changed slightly and the country is made to vote again. A comment made by one councillor was that she thought the youngsters should be asked, yes of course they should, like me they want a super area for teenagers a wheeled park, BMX track and skate board park, it’s a dream for the youngsters and what’s more they deserve it. BUT- If they’re told it will mean their huge green open space will be so drastically reduced to accommodate car parking and a development built to fund the sports centre then I think our savvy youngsters will say no, not at that cost. Westbridge Park is our village green where the kids chill for free and are safe.We have to stop any planned development other than on the already existing area where there is the gym and tennis courts, not one blade of grass must be touched. I strongly suggest that the people of Stone ask their local town and borough councillors if they are representing THEIR views on this matter.
Jill Hood
Kerry
We’ve recently had an Aldi store open up – a town the size of Stone does not need Morrison, Co-op, Aldi AND a new supermarket as proposed in the quotation above. Stone Business Park is more than big enough (especially if it will be extended anyway!) for a new leisure centre and it will most likely get more use by being there – I know quite a few people who visit the gym/pool before and after work.
In reference to Sheila’s comment below, if you visit the land at the end of Westbridge Park every weekend (as I do – as Bandmaster of Stone Scout & Guide Band it is our main parade ground due to football practice and other activities taking place on the field), you would realise that the river runs down the side – the land regularly floods, several dog walkers use the field and I’m positive cattle graze on the field next door. It isn’t suitable for a building of the size the Leisure Facilities Strategy believes we require.
More people visit Stone in the entire weekend of the food and drink festival than would visit the new leisure centre (I know people come from Birmingham and even further afield just for this event). We need to keep Westbridge Park as it is. It’s our last real multi-purpose green space and Stone wouldn’t be the same without it.
I have no alternative suggestion to what has already been put forward, and I do agree that young people need more to do in Stone, but surely getting rid of a space that is used by hundreds of local youngsters isn’t the answer?
RichardS
Sorry folk. You are already falling into the trap that has been set for us by the Borough Council. They want us now to start falling out with each other about what we want by way of leisure facilities – purely to distract us from their intention of putting a supermarket on Westbridge Park. Don’t fall for this tactic.
There is only one issue at the moment. Do you want a supermarket on Westbridge Park or not? The Borough Council do and that is what is out for consultation under The Plan for Stafford Borough, as Rob has pointed out above.
Don’t be distracted by offer of improved leisure facilities. That can and will only happen if the supermarket plan goes through.
A supermarket on Westbridge Park will be the death of the High Street and all the community events that take place in Stone.
As I have just said in response to another posting on this site:-
“Don’t be fooled. If you think you 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”
Sheila
A new leisure centre needs to be placed in a central position in Stone and Westbridge Park fits that bill. There is nothing in Stone for young people and they are not interested in food and wine festivals and the like. A new leisure centre can be used every day of the year. The other festivals take place on odd weekends . People would come to Stone from surrounding areas to enjoy such facilities and that can only be good for Stone. There is ample room in Westbridge Park to have both, as the land close to the far end car park is rarely used.