PEOPLE have until tomorrow to take part in a crucial public consultation into the mix of facilities to be provided by the new Alton Sports Centre.

Initiated by Alton Town Council, the public consultation comes in response to “significant” concern over the lack of public consultation by East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) and that Alton is being given a ‘leisure’ rather than a ‘sports’ centre that some fear will not provide for the needs or wishes of a rapidly growing community.

As such, the town council has been out and about manning drop-in sessions, giving residents and user groups the opportunity to speak to councillors about the issues surrounding the proposed facility.

To be built by EHDC in a joint venture with new partner Everyone Active, who took on the management of the current sports centre from April 1, the new facility will cost in the region of £20m and is expected to be open to the public in autumn 2019.

Everyone Active also runs the Taro Leisure Centre in Petersfield and Mill Chase Leisure Centre in Bordon.

It is to be built on the artificial turf pitch behind the existing centre, which dates to the 1970s and will be demolished once the new building is in operation.

While not denying the need for a replacement building, anger has been sparked in Alton over the decision by EHDC to present a “done deal” to the community, after signing a legal agreement with Everyone Active at the end of March without full public consultation, and then insisting that the facilities mix in particular was “non-negotiable”.

Aware of public concerns, Alton Town Council has been seeking public views on the specification for the new sports centre and if people are supportive of what has been decided.

Taking the form of informative flyers, distributed by post to all households in the Alton area, the consultation can be completed online at surveymonkey.co.uk/r/altonsportscentre.

Paper copies of the consultation are available from Alton Town Hall on the Market Square, as well as Alton College, Alton Community Centre, Alton Assembly Rooms, Alton Library, Alton Sports Centre, and the Alton Herald office.

In the meantime, concerned that the proposed mix of facilities is directed at the ‘leisure’ market and falls far short of what many feel is needed to support today’s sporting requirements, with no apparent consideration for future growth, Alton and District Sports Council has been urging its members to respond in full to the consultation.

It has also called an extraordinary meeting next Thursday (June 29) to formulate its official response as a group, to be presented to the next full meeting of Alton Town Council on July 13 when the council is expected to decide on whether or not to support EHDC’s current proposal for the new sports centre, based on the result of the public consultation.