sport London 2012 a ‘financial success’


A public spending watchdog has declared this year’s London Olympics and Paralympics a success, stating the total pub- lic sector spend is likely to come in under budget. The National Audit Office’s post- Games review, presented to parliament on 12 December, revealed there is likely to be a £377m underspend in the £9.3bn Public Sector Funding Package, set in 2007. Areas of uncertainty, such


Freedom Leisure to operate £7.8m Folkestone centre


Sport trust Freedom Leisure has secured a contract to operate the Cheriton Road Sport Ground in Folkestone, Kent. Te facility has undergone a £7.8m rede-


velopment and is set to open fully this month (December) as a centre of excel- lence for cricket, hockey and netball. Te project, which was completed in


three phases, has been entirely funded by a donation from the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust with the land provided by Shepway District Council on a 125-year lease. Details: http://lei.sr?a=f2b8l


Team GB’s triumphs at 2012 have been followed by financial success


as the final cost of converting the Athletes’ Village and settling outstanding contracts with suppliers, mean the exact pub- lic expenditure will not be known until 2014. Head of the National Audit Office, Amyas Morse, said the Games were a success by any reasonable measure. He said: “Te construction programme was


completed on time and within budget, 11 mil- lion tickets were sold and our athletes excelled.


Crucially, the Games passed off without major transport disruption or security incident.” Te report noted £500m for venue security


was not factored into the original budget, but the total spend was still less than expected. Te Cabinet is now responsible for the leg-


acy of the Games and the report notes tenants and long-term uses have been found for most venues and facilities at the Olympic Park.


Basingstoke FC’s stadium plans on track


Basingstoke Town Football Club’s (BTFC) plans to build a new £10m stadium have received the backing of Basingstoke and Deane Council (BDC). Te 5,000 capacity stadium


is set to be located west of the Hi lton Basingstoke hotel and BTFC hopes to begin the 2014-15 season in the new development. Along with the stadium the


club plans to create a £500,000 all-weather training pitch at the Costello Technology College as well as an £85,000 multi-use games area for local children. Te stadium is to be funded by replacing the


Te club hopes to move into the new stadium for the 2014-15 season


since unveiling plans for the new development this time last year. Te original time frame for completion of


existing Camrose stadium with a 90,000 sq ſt (27,432 sq m) retail park. Te club has been in negotiations with BDC which owns the area


the new stadium was March 2014; the club now hopes to move in at the start of the 2014-15 sea- son. Details: http://lei.sr?a=A4y0b


Wycome District Council unveils plans for sports centre


Wycombe District Council is now closing its public consultation regarding plans for a new sport and leisure centre. Te mix of facilities include a 50m pool, a


learner pool, toddler water play area, 150 sta- tion gym, dance studio, 12 court sports hall,


© CYBERTREK 2012


bowls, two squash courts, two party/meeting rooms and a café. It is set to be built on the site of the existing synthetic turf pitches and running track alongside the existing Wycombe Sports Centre, which will remain open dur- ing the build.


Twitter: @leisureopps


High performance shooting range for Cardiff


A high performance shooting facility has been unveiled in Cardiff with hopes it will improve Welsh prospects at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and other world- class competitions. The £100,000 Sport Wales National


Centre includes a 50m, six-lane shooting range with the latest laser target equip- ment. It means the Welsh shooting team will no longer take monthly trips to Surrey – a 300-mile roundtrip - where they previously trained at a similar facility. Details: http://lei.sr?a=5x3s2


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital 3 Te Baroness will be involved in legacy plans


Grey-Thompson joins LLDC board of directors


Mayor of London Boris Johnson has appointed former Paralympic champion, Baroness Tanni Grey-Tompson, to the board of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC). Already a member of the boards of


Transport for London and the London Marathon and previously the UK Athletics board, Baroness Grey-Thompson will be actively involved in LLDC’s leg- acy planning and decision making. Details: http://lei.sr?a=u5C9N


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16