Questions still need to be answered

Dear Editor

In the Blairgowrie Advertiser dated February 3, you reported on my comments about the proposed recreation centre in Blairgowrie.

My comments asked why all of the funding for this centre was going into Blairgowrie, why could some of the funding not be spent in other towns and villages of eastern Perthshire?

Of course the main centre should be built near the High School; my questions were ‘Why could some of the funding not be used to help develop sports facilities in other parts of eastern Perthshire? Why does everything have to focus at one site in Blairgowrie?’

A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson commented that ‘at the recent community sports hub meeting, the meeting was overall very positive’.

Please note, at that meeting only five sports clubs were represented and three of them were from Blairgowrie and Rattray. There were two local councillors who both represent the Blairgowrie ward, three officials from PKC and the manager of the current leisure centre in Blairgowrie.

Is it surprising that there was enthusiasm for the project? I would argue that a number of the people around the table could see my point, despite their very understandable allegiances to Blairgowrie.

A final note - there was no mention as to whether the £17.7 million would lever in funding from any other sports facility funders.

A small proportion of this £17.7 million could be given to local groups in eastern Perthshire such as the group trying to re-develop the Meigle cricket pavilion and the one fundraising for a cycle skills training track in Coupar Angus.

These groups would double, or treble the amount donated by PKC by bringing in funds from local donors, Sports Scotland, etc, with the result that the total spend on sports in eastern Perthshire would increase.

Has any consideration been given to this way of increasing the financial pot spent on sports in the area? I fear that the answer to this is ‘No’.

So, let’s have the main recreation centre near the High School so the pupils of the school can benefit from it when they are there.

But let’s, in the promised community consultation (which, incidentally has been talked about now for several months with no apparent action) consider the needs of other other communities out with Blairgowrie.

The consultation should consider both the adults and primary school children in those communities AND the High School young people when they are not at school but in their home towns and villages.

John Palfreyman Forward Coupar Angus