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Thursday, January 30 - Wednesday, February 5, 2014
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PITCH PLANS QUESTIONED Councillors believe SODC should provide leisure facilities
Having a go at careers fair
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DIDCOT’S independent councillor has raised concerns over a consultation for the possible purchase of tati land at Hadden Hill for proposed new sports facilities. Members of the public will M receive a letter on Monday outlinrece ing Didcot Town Council’s plans to purchase and prepare 25 acres of land on Hadden Hill, which could cost around £1m, to address a shortfall of sports facilities and pitches. As reported at the end of last year, the site in question is off the A4130 and next to Hadden Hill Golf Course. Cllr Neville Harris, who is on the town, district and county council, believes the consultation is lacking “in a great deal of relevant information”. He also says the responsibility of providing leisure facilities rests with South Oxfordshire District Council, a thought echoed by deputy Conservative group leader on the town council Cllr Tony Harbour, who feels the Hadden Hill site would become “a fi nancial burden to the town”. “It does not make clear that the duty to enable people to partici-
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pate in organised outdoor sport on safely accessible sports facilities rests with district councils, in our case SODC, who is constantly reviewing trends and identified need in discharging this responsibility,” Cllr Harris said. “At Great Western Park SODC, aided by developer funding, is making provision that includes a sports pavilion and facilities for outdoor sports. “SODC has acted responsibly as providers with regard to sporting facilities in all areas of the towns development. “Planning proposals for the North East Development will include, again in conjunction with developers, funding for outdoor sporting facilities plus a leisure centre with a swimming pool. “SODC is currently in talks with Didcot Rugby and Cricket Clubs with a view to them using part of the facilities at Great Western We Park. “This can only be good new news in terms of community cohesive cohesiveness
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in helping bring our fragmented town together.” Cllr Harris also questioned why current open spaces such as Ladygrove Park were going unused. Town council leader Margaret Davies says Ladygrove cannot be booked by sporting teams because of rocks under the surface. Cllr Davies said: “The town council has a shortage of recreational land. They are totally booked out. Ladygrove Park cannot be booked out because the surface that SODC provided 15-20 years ago is a health hazard.” She also addressed the matter of which authority is responsible for providing leisure facilities. “Nobody has that responsibilty, which is why it has languished since before 1997 which was when the first study was carried out,” Cllr Davies said. “It was in no man’s land. The town council has the power to do this legally.” She added: “It is important to the identity of everyone in any town that it has open green spaces and plenty of recreational space. “It helps give people the opportunity to play and socialise and we are desperatley short of it.”
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