Fury as Shepway Council pull support from Folkestone Sports Centre Redevelopment Plan

Lynne Beaumont has attacked the decision by Shepway Council not to support the refurbishment of Folkestone Sports Centre. The Conservative Council Cabinet met on Wednesday and agreed not to offer the funding needed to support the redevelopment plans for the centre put forward by Folkestone Sports Centre Trust Ltd.

Liberal Democrat Shepway Group Leader, Lynne Beaumont, said:

"This is an appalling decision for sports in Folkestone, for local residents and young people. The Sports Centre had an imaginative plan to dramatically improve sports facilities at the centre, and Shepway have destroyed it.

"At a time when Britain should be investing in Olympic quality sports facilities in the run-up to 2012, Shepway have bottled the opportunity. Instead of going for the Gold medal, they've settled for the wooden spoon.

"Some of the key objectives in Shepway's OWN Corporate plan are to 'Improve opportunities for sport, leisure and culture' and to 'improve the appearance of the District by providing clean, modern and accessible leisure facilities' as well as 'catering for the needs of children to play'. By refusing to back Folkestone Sports Centre's redevelopment, they have gone against their own plan and let down Folkestone."

Shepway Council Cabinet had previously supported the principle of a scheme to refurbish and improve Folkestone Sports Centre when the scheme was proposed last year.

The total costs of the proposed refurbishment project are currently estimated at £4.37m. This would provide for:

• internal alterations and refurbishment of changing areas

-provision of new mezzanine floor over the learner pool to create a new fitness centre and treatment rooms

• a new café and viewing balcony
• upgrading of the main, golf and ski reception areas
• access for those with mobility impairment significantly enhanced with the building being made fully DDA compliant
• new car parking and access road, revised parking within the existing car parking areas, and revised front elevations to the main pool hall.

To fund the redevelopment, Folkestone Sports Centre Trust Ltd had been looking for financial support and commitment from Shepway District Council in the form of an increase in the existing annual revenue grant the Council makes to the Trust (from £186,000 to £300,000 pa) as well as the guarantee of a £2.4m loan that the Trust intend to take out.