ALTON Town Council has launched its own public consultation into the mix of facilities to be provided by the new town sports centre.

Initiated in response to “significant” concern over the lack of public consultation and that Alton is being given a ‘leisure’ rather than a ‘sports’ centre that some fear will not provide for the needs or wishes of a rapidly-growing community, the consultation comes as East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) releases the first pictures of the proposed facility (see Page 16).

The decision to consult followed a packed full town council meeting on April 26 when councillors were left in no doubt as to the strength of public feeling over the design and proposed mix of facilities. Although pressed to do so by EHDC, the council voted to defer giving its support for the new facility pending the outcome of its own town council-funded consultation on the new building.

To be built by the district council in a joint venture with new partner Everyone Active, which took on the management of the current sports centre last month, the new facility will cost in the region of £20m and is expected to be open to the public in autumn 2019.

It is to be built on the artificial turf pitch behind the existing 1970s-era centre, which will be demolished once the new building is in operation.

While not denying the need for a replacement building, anger has been sparked in Alton over the decision by EHDC to present a done-deal to the community, after signing a legal agreement with Everyone Active at the end of March without full public consultation, and then insisting that the facilities mix in particular was “non-negotiable”.

In taking the decision to consult anyway, Alton Town Council is seeking public views on the specification for the new sports centre and if people are supportive of what has been decided.

In a statement, town clerk Leah Coney said: “In responding to users and sports clubs who have expressed their worries over the appropriateness of the design, Alton Town Council has decided to fund its own consultation to understand whether what is being presented to the town is the right sports centre to not only meet current needs but to provide a fit-for-purpose building for years to come, particularly in light of the number of new dwellings being built across the town over the next five years.”

Taking the form of informative flyers, distributed to all households in the Alton area, the consultation can also be completed online at surveymonkey.co.uk

/r/altonsportscentre.

To run from next Tuesday (May 30) to Friday, June 23, paper copies of the consultation will be available from Alton Town Hall on the Market Square, as well as Alton College, Alton Community Centre, Alton Assembly Rooms, Alton Library, and Alton Sports Centre.

There will also be an adapted survey which will be presented to sports clubs and schools to understand their usage of the sports centre and whether they are supportive of the design.

And there will be a number of drop-in sessions for residents and user groups to speak to councillors. They are on May 30 at Alton Assembly Rooms, 2pm-7pm; June 3 at Alton Sports Centre, 9am-noon; June 6 at High Street Market, 10am-2pm; June 7 at Alton Sports Centre, 5pm-8pm; June 10 at Alton Farmers’ Market, 9am-1pm; June 13 at High Street Market: 10am-2pm; June 17 at High Street, 10am-2pm; June 19 at Alton Sports Centre, 9am-11am; and June 20 at High Street Market, 10am-2pm.

The results of the consultation will be collated by officers of the town council and presented back to councillors ahead of the next meeting of the full council on July 12.