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Clubs 'badly affected' by leisure plan, says MP

Lewis Adams & Lois Worrow
BBC News, Essex
Simon Dedman/BBC Sir John Whittingdale standing in front of iron gates, which are blurred. He has short grey hair and is wearing a chequered shirt.Simon Dedman/BBC
Sir John Whittingdale said people were upset about the proposals

Users of a popular leisure centre would be "badly affected" by plans to revamp it, an MP said.

The sports hall at Blackwater Leisure Centre in Maldon, Essex, is due to be replaced by a new climbing wall and gym on 18 August.

Sir John Whittingdale, the town's Conservative MP, said people had been left baffled by the decision.

But Maldon District Council leader Richard Siddall said the centre would be made "fit for purpose" for the next 20 years thanks to the work.

Basketball, badminton and five-a-side football clubs have all been frequent users of the sports hall.

They have told the BBC about not being consulted on the decision, which was made in November, until May.

Rukhsana Hamid/BBC The entrance to the Blackwater Leisure Centre, which is a brick building with a red and white canopy above its main doors.Rukhsana Hamid/BBC
Places Leisure has pledged to invest £6m into the centre over the next 20 years

"I've received a lot of letters from constituents who are going to be badly affected by this decision," Sir John said.

"People don't quite understand why the decision was taken in the first place."

Clubs have been looking to find alternative bases before the August deadline with mixed results.

Wheelchair basketball team Highrollers found a venue 12 miles away (20km) in Burnham-on-Crouch, but the future of the centre's badminton club was uncertain.

Sir John added: "The sports hall is much-valued and there is no alternative as yet that has been found."

He called on the council to prioritise its residents over becoming a "profit-making enterprise".

The project, which will also lead to work on the centre's swimming pool, is being led by contractor Places Leisure.

Rukhsana Hamid/BBC Seven male wheelchair basketball players sitting in front of a green wall inside a sports hall. They are wearing cyan vests and smiling. One is holding a basketball.Rukhsana Hamid/BBC
Wheelchair basketball team Highrollers have managed to secure a new base

Council leader Siddall, of the Maldon District Independent Group, said the work was crucial to future-proofing the site.

He claimed the leisure centre would not survive without the plan being implemented.

"We're really working hard over these months to make sure we find places for those that might be displaced temporarily," he said.

New studio space would be created under the proposal, he said, and the new gym would be accessible for people with disabilities.

"A lot of martial arts groups are very excited about the new studios and the facilities we're going to be providing," Siddall added.

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