Gloves off in activity centre fight

Protestors meet in car park in bid to keep hall council- run

Waggons have circled a Troon activity centre in the middle of a bid to oust it from council control.

In extraordinary scenes on Wednesday night, 70 people met outside in the dark of the car park of Muirhead Activity Centre.

Dundonald Gymnastics Club want to take the council- owned centre over – which would mean no other sports allowed and the after- school club made homeless.

Liz McNish, of the Muirhead Tenants and Residents Association, revealed her attempt to publicise the summit had been SABOTAGED.

She said: “We put posters up throughout Muirhead, Deveron Road and the new builds and every one of them got ripped down.”

Another woman at the meeting who refused to give her name in a roll- call was accused of being a gymnastics club SPY.

One source said: “The lady in the hoodie with the glasses is not here to support us, she is furtive and a plant.”

Frances Carson, chairman of the MTRA, said: “We are being pushed out of this place. This seems like a done deal.”

Councillor Bob Pollock said: “The whole purpose of a Community Asset Transfer is to keep the premises in the community.

“The council have a duty to consider the application if it meets the criteria.

“If they produce a business case to run it, then it will go out to consultation for six months. They would have to prove they are better placed to run it for the community than the council would.”

In fact the application by the Dundonald Club – so popular it has a giant waiting list – has NOT met the criteria and will have to be re- submitted.

Residents at the meeting feared if one self- serving group gets control, then it will cease to serve the whole community.

And one lady got a round of applause when suggesting it was a class war, saying: “This club is for people able to lay out a fortune in fees and to buy their gear and to enter competitions.

“What about the children whose parents can’t afford to do that?”

Another added: “There are plenty of other empty premises and the club should go there. Why are they targeting one in use every day by a lot of groups?”

Councillor Phil Saxton said of the bid: “If they tick all the boxes they have the right of appeal to the Scottish Government.

“But I would not be interested in supporting an application which would benefit one organisation only.”

The Dundonald Gymnastics Club – with over 400 members – meets in the village’s activity centre, but spend hours setting out and removing equipment. This hall is attached to the primary school which renders it which apparently rules it outside asset transfer rules.

Any ultimate bid for the activity centre would end up in a vote at a full meeting of South Ayrshire Council.

Councillor Craig Mackay insists there has been no “done deal” on the future.

He said: “This issue is generating significant interest in the local community, and the attendance at Wednesday’s meeting goes to show how much people care about their local community facilities.

“Once a valid asset transfer application has been submitted we will be able to see the full details of what is proposed.

“I am very keen to have these out in the open as soon as possible, and for residents, community groups and local sports clubs to have their say in the consultation.

“Ultimately we need to make a decision on what is best for Muirhead and Troon, and the public’s views are key to ensuring this is the right decision.”

There are plenty of other empty premises