Queens Park Leisure Centre: Time for Chesterfield Borough Council to come clean
In last week's Derbyshire Times Council Leader John Burrows claimed that "there are currently no plans for the development of the [Queen's Park Leisure Centre] site." Many people have commented on the use of the weasel word "currently".
Cllr Burrows could soon rule out speculation about the future of the Queens Park Leisure Centre site by answering, openly and honestly, questions that have been put to him by the public. Something he has refused point blank to do so far. His plans for demolishing the existing Leisure Centre are costed at a figure which most people say is unrealistically low - but he has refused to provide details of this. Even a Freedom of Information request from the Residents Action Group received a reply in which key details were blacked out on grounds of "Commercial Sensitivity".
How can the costs of demolishing the existing Leisure Centre be "commercially sensitive" if, as Cllr Burrows claims, "there are currently no plans for the development of the site after the Annexe has been built on."? If the Council themselves are going to pay for the demolition and restoration of the site to be part of Queen's Park, then they should tell us exactly what the costs to the local taxpayer will be. Otherwise how can the real costs (which already stand at over £10 Million in proposed borrowing and debt repayments) of building a smaller replacement on the Annexe be assessed by the public?
Do they plan to leave the then-derelict building to stand as a rotting eyesore? If they are planning to sell it to a developer, then for what purposes? An office block such as the one they once unsuccessfully tried to build on Queen's Park Annexe? Houses in Queen's Park? Or a deal with Chesterfield College, who they are already partnered up with in allocating part of the proposed new, smaller, Leisure Centre for the private use of the College?
Come clean Cllr Burrows and tell the people of Chesterfield the details of your controversial scheme.