‘Give us ex-leisure site and we’ll put on events’
GROUP URGING PUBLIC TO SUPPORT ITS PLANS FOR HERMITAGE SITE
A COMMUNITY group determined to save a former leisure centre from demolition has laid out plans to take over its running.
Coalville Can (Communities and Neighbours) says proposals to demolish the former Hermitage leisure centre in Whitwick, near Coalville, are wrong and the building’s future should be in its hands.
The group is calling for a rethink from bosses at North West Leicestershire District Council.
Previously, Paul Sanders, head of community services at the council, said the empty building was at the “end of its life”, with demolition the only way forward.
Coalville Can disputes this and says the site could become an important venue for the area.
In its proposals, Coalville Can, which operates as a social enterprise, says it aims to get a licence for the use of the main Hermitage hall from the council.
The group says activities and events such as parkour, blood drives and polling could be held there.
However, it has not outlined the anticipated cost of such a move or a timetable for its plans.
Despite its opposition to demolition, the group has conceded that surrounding buildings on the Hermitage site would still have to be flattened, with the main building and its associated ancillary space the only survivors.
The group insists its ideas are the best way forward for the building after the council revealed last month it costs taxpayers £20,000 a month to maintain the currently derelict site.
A group spokesperson told the Mercury: “We are asking the council to consider our revised option.
“This decision has been made due to the costs that have already been incurred and continue to be incurred by keeping the whole thing closed, and the fact that some of the building is not viable to be reused.”
If approved, Coalville Can says its plan to retain the main hall would decrease the environmental impacts associated with demolition and “build trust” between the community, the group and the council.
Activities such as parkour would also support the council’s health and wellbeing strategy, according to the group.
In June, the council outlined six key questions that would resolve the fate of the leisure centre and the surrounding recreation ground.
Among these was the building’s full demolition and creation of housing, but the council insists no firm decisions have been made.
Coalville Can is urging people to support its proposals.
Speaking previously, Councillor Andrew Woodman, the council’s lead for community services, said: “The views of the community are really important when deciding on the future of important sites like the Hermitage.
“We also need to be open and realistic about what’s possible, so it’s good to show how we’ve developed and costed a vision for the site, and get opinions from local people about what’s most important to them.”
The consultation on plans for the Hermitage’s future closes on Monday, August 15. More information can be found online.
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