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INDUSTRY COMMENT S&P architects designed the complex All set for Luton Aquatics Centre A L
groundbreaking ceremony has been held to officially mark the start of work on the construc-
tion of a new £26m Aquatics Centre at Stopsley Common, Luton. Luton Borough Council (LBC) is leading
the project along with Luton Learning and Community Partnership (LLCP) and Surrey- based contractor Wates Construction. The new Aquatics Centre will boast a
50m, eight-lane swimming pool with a diving facility and spectator seating for 400 people, as well as a 20m, five-lane
community pool with moveable floor. A 100-station fitness suite and a large
sports hall will also feature as part of the S&P Architects-designed complex, along with a dance studio; a spinning room; a multi-use activity room and a café. Due to open in 2012, LLCP general
manager Pip Hesketh said: “This is the most recent of a number of projects
being delivered in partnership with the council , which are designed to dra- matically improve the quality of life for Luton communities.”
Snowdome planned for Weston
eisure Dome UK is in talks to purchase land on the airfield in Weston-super-Mare in order to
build a multi-million pound snowdome. Discussions have been taking place
with North Somerset Council regard- ing the slope, which would boast the longest indoor ski slope in the UK. Leisure Dome director Clive Hamilton- Davies said: “Extreme sports is a
growing industry and one the South West must tap into. “North Somerset has actively sought
to assist us in delivering these exciting proposals in Weston-super-Mare.” The development is also thought to in-
clude a hotel, a pub, a restaurant, a gym, a health spa and a skateboard park and if planning permission is granted, could be operational within two years.
MP: FOOTBALL ‘INCAPABLE’ OF SELF-REGULATION
Bob Russell, the Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester, has called for a royal commission to look into the gover- nance of UK football. Speaking in Parliament on 25 Octo-
ber, Russell said that the footballing authorities were “incapable” of self- regulation and urged Sports Minister Hugh Robertson to launch an inquiry. Russell said: “The minister has no
doubt discovered by now that those at the top of football are as impotent as a room of eunuchs, that financially
they have regimes that would make bankers blush, and that, with greedy footballers and parasitic agents, the game is being ruined. Is it not time that the government held a royal commission, because the game is incapable of regulating itself?” Robertson accepted that there
was cross-party agreement to reform football governance, but added that due to the “disparate nature” of club ownership, there is no “one silver bul- let” to rectify the situation.
around the country facing budget cuts of 28 per cent over four years, not-for-profit leisure trusts and social enterprises fear their public services may now be in the firing line. Sporta is concerned that discre-
W
ith local authori- ties
sporta chair Craig McAteer
tionary services such as leisure and community centres may be seen as soft targets by hard-pressed councils. Any closures or cutbacks in service would be a huge loss to communi- ties around the UK. Not only do our members provide a range of afford- able and accessible health, fitness and cultural facilities for people unable to afford private health clubs and sports centres, but they also reinvest their surpluses in service development, while providing an innovative range of community outreach programmes. Councils who currently run their
own sports and leisure services would be well advised to consider the not- for-profit model pioneered by sporta members over the last 10 years. The model is based on effective social en- terprise and it can enable tax savings. The reinvestment of surpluses also leads to income generation, efficien- cies and development opportunities only open to social enterprises. There is enormous potential for
community leisure centres to do much more. As independent local centres, they are engaged with their commu- nities and well placed to become or help create community hubs, tailored to the needs of their areas. Many are already in partnership with a range of local projects, as well as support- ing local sports teams and budding Olympic and Paralympic stars. They are willing and able to host, collabo- rate with and support the wide range of small community and voluntary organisations that are expected to form part of the ‘Big Society’. sporta is the representative body for leisure trusts and social enterprises
Issue 4 2010 © cybertrek 2010 Read Sports Management online
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