Stour Centre petition gets big support

A year-long closure of the Stour Centre for renovation work is expected to be approved today (Thursday) – despite a petition against it gaining more than 1,200 signatures.

On June 30, the announcement that the site could remain shut until mid-2021 took many by surprise. This included some customers and staff, who say they found out about the temporary closure and 115 job losses through a press release and subsequent story on our website KentOnline.

Ashford Borough Council (ABC) - which owns the swimming pool and gym complex - is holding a full council meeting at 5pm this evening where it will discuss the proposal, which is expected to be approved.

The £6.5 million renovation will add a new soft play area, climbing area and café to the Stour Centre, which underwent a £17m revamp in the mid-2000s.

But a petition has been set up by UNISON South East ahead of the meeting, requesting the full closure is replaced with partial closures focussing on the areas being done up.

This was the initial plan - but with the timing of Covid-19 and partial work expected to take nine months longer, ABC decided on a full shut down of the facility.

Within five days, the petition addressed to ABC leader Cllr Gerry Clarkson had already gained more than 1,200 signatures.

A contingency plan to move most services to the out-of-town Julie Rose Stadium isn’t seen as sufficient by some, who are annoyed at the lack of a swimming pool there.

Hein Behrens, chairman of the Ashford Town Swimming Club, said: “We were promised the pool will not close during the renovations.

“This is a serious issue for the club as we do not have access to other pools.

“This is affecting everyone who used to train 10 hours a week.

“Children doing their GCSE sport are especially affected.”

Another member of the club, Gemma Carter-Collins, said: “Obviously, the effects on the wider community will be absolutely tragic from a physical and mental health perspective, but I’m lobbying for Ashford Town Swimming Club too.

“Those children give their all to their swimming and have lost enough, now to risk it being taken further from them.

“Many are Year 10, 11, 12, 13 or Year 6 - the children who’ve suffered the most in the last few months.

“And the decision makers behind this are beyond shortsighted.

“There are several GB triathletes who rely on the pool and the childcare there to train.

“We’ve lost our events this year but there are several of us who are at European and World Championships in June 2021.

“ABC will be writing off our chances too.

“The irony is that the pool does not need to shut.

“I think they’ve made huge huge errors of judgment.”

From September 1, Freedom Leisure will take over the dayto-day running of the centre from the Ashford Leisure Trust.

■ See letters on pages 24-25.

New features aimed at younger children will be added to the existing pool area if the plan gets approval at a full council meeting

How the Stour Centre used to look before a huge revamp costing £17m was completed in 2007