Where Is Our Survey?

[Rea]

Page 3 of this week's Newspost 'Survey on the future of town leisure facilities' makes me wonder if i need to move out of Bedlington and into another Town altogether such as North Tyneside, why have 1000 people in Ashington been surveyed on whether there should be investment in the old leisure centre or a new one built, well what do you think everyone will say -- of course,, a new one!, it's a no brainer. Why is nothing we here in Bedlington say never listened to, I am sick to the back teeth of it, we are a democracy and one Council after all! There will be 1000's more sent out in Ashington in the next few weeks, why not send us some as well for our opinion as we are also user's of the centre not just people in Ashington

[sizsells]

Page 3 of this week's Newspost 'Survey on the future of town leisure facilities' makes me wonder if i need to move out of Bedlington and into another Town altogether such as North Tyneside, why have 1000 people in Ashington been surveyed on whether there should be investment in the old leisure centre or a new one built, well what do you think everyone will say -- of course,, a new one!, it's a no brainer. Why is nothing we here in Bedlington say never listened to, I am sick to the back teeth of it, we are a democracy and one Council after all! There will be 1000's more sent out in Ashington in the next few weeks, why not send us some as well for our opinion as we are also user's of the centre not just people in Ashington

BECAUSE that lot look after there own and our councelors are YES MEN AND WOMEN

[Rea]

Of course they are, i forgot, just wait till they are knocking on doors wanting our support in May for the next generation Yes men and women

[threegee]

What a dumb question! I'd have though this was perfectly obvious. You can pick up a copy at the Bedlington Public Baths at Humford (opening days only). Failing that at the Bedlington Shopping Mall (see 1960's Town Plan).

Too far to walk then nip in to the Bedlington People's Theatre and Cinema(s) (Glebe Rd. / Palace Rd.), the Locke Hall, the Netherdale Venue, or indeed the Ticket Office at Bedlington Station.

Then there's the Bedlington Fire Station, North Ridge; the Bedlington Ambulance Station, Millbank Tce.

If you are very quick you might get a copy of our survey at the Bedlington Library, Glebe Road; the Bedlington Station Library; the Bedlington Community Center, Front Street West, and the Courts Building, off Market Place - any of these before the keys get lost! I'd also suggest the "Parish Hall" (Old Infant's School), but risky as you might get mown down by a bulldozer!

If you're not feeling totally spoilt for choice by now then try any one of the closed Electrical Dealers, Department Stores, Social Clubs, General Dealers, Public Houses, Butchers Shops, Bakeries, Jewellers, Shoe Shops, Greengrocers, Clothes Shops, Delis, Hardware Stores, Paper & Paint, Gas/Electricity Board Showrooms, Furniture Shops ... ...

[Andy Millne]

Failing that there's the only thing likely to remain... The Job Centre.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Page 3 of this week's Newspost 'Survey on the future of town leisure facilities' makes me wonder if i need to move out of Bedlington and into another Town altogether such as North Tyneside, why have 1000 people in Ashington been surveyed on whether there should be investment in the old leisure centre or a new one built, well what do you think everyone will say -- of course,, a new one!, it's a no brainer. Why is nothing we here in Bedlington say never listened to, I am sick to the back teeth of it, we are a democracy and one Council after all! There will be 1000's more sent out in Ashington in the next few weeks, why not send us some as well for our opinion as we are also user's of the centre not just people in Ashington

Actually Rea we do have a professional study being carried out right now into leisure requirements for Bedlington.

The bit that narks me is that I know the hoops and hurdles we had to jump though to get this study while Ashington has one handed to them on a plate. Oh well, why change the habits of a lifetime!

This study, completely independent and done by one of the country's leading groups in the field, will answer the question once and for all and even if nothing comes from it straightaway it will stand for quite a while into the future ready to be used. That is of course presupposing it comes out and says we have a need for such facilities but I would have thought that a no brainer!

Anyway the company are coming back up to talk to all interested parties in a couple of weeks time then a public presentation is pencilled in for 25th March at the Community Centre.

[Stephen]

Reading the NPL article it appears that this is not an official council survey, but a political one carried out by Ashington Lib Dems. Actually there seems to be a lot of resistance to replacing the existing Ashington Leisure Centre with a new one although the County appears to believe they can run a new leisure centre at less cost than £300,000 a year for ALC. My guess is that the survey is an attempt to find if the wider public i.e. not just those involved in the ALC campaign would support this.

The survey Malcolm mentions will be a far more professional one that won't just ask whether people want leisure facilities in Bedlington, but what they should be, where and how much they would cost.

My view is that we've always been told that there might be funding available for a new leisure centre e.g. from Sport England, but we would never be able to afford the running costs. This has been based on the assumption that all leisure centres cost as much as Ashington to run, but Morpeth (for one) is a lot cheaper.

If the money could be found to build a leisure centre, perhaps from a combination of grants and council funding if available, then you could well get interest in a private company to run it on behalf of the council as they would not have had to take the risk of making a big investment up front.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Haven't read the NPL article yet but I would guess the positioning of a new build leisure centre in Ashington might well be included in the new regeneration plans for the old Asda and surrounding site?????

'My view is that we've always been told that there might be funding available for a new leisure centre e.g. from Sport England, but we would never be able to afford the running costs.

If the money could be found to build a leisure centre, perhaps from a combination of grants and council funding if available, then you could well get interest in a private company to run it on behalf of the council as they would not have had to take the risk of making a big investment up front.'

There are other ways to skin the same rabbit. The bid we submitted has a large degree of inbuilt sustainability and there will be a choice to be made later as to how it is overseen.

[Rea]

Interesting Malcolm, I was unaware of the professional study being carried out, will there be some publicity on the matter to make sure everyone in Bedlington knows about it and the meeting on the 25th March, I hope so. As for location, there is a large area on the 20 acre field next to the golf course, this would be a good location with easy access and visibility to promote its use, and particularly the close proximity of the golf course would be a good marriage.

Will 'a survey' of all residents be carried out for their views on where it should be located, how much should be spent and what should be on offer?

[Andy Millne]

Interesting Malcolm, I was unaware of the professional study being carried out, will there be some publicity on the matter to make sure everyone in Bedlington knows about it and the meeting on the 25th March?

http://www.bedlington.co.uk/2009/12/community-group-looks-to-reverse-closure-trend/

More will follow as more is known.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Interesting Malcolm, I was unaware of the professional study being carried out, will there be some publicity on the matter to make sure everyone in Bedlington knows about it and the meeting on the 25th March, I hope so. As for location, there is a large area on the 20 acre field next to the golf course, this would be a good location with easy access and visibility to promote its use, and particularly the close proximity of the golf course would be a good marriage.

Will 'a survey' of all residents be carried out for their views on where it should be located, how much should be spent and what should be on offer?

Rea,

I don't know what else we can do to publicise this stuff??? We got a NPL editorial, which is ongoing, it has been talked about at the Bedlington Forum and Partnership meetings, and we put it up on this web site. I am not having a go but if there is anything else you can suggest............

The 20 acres has a restrictive covenant on the land use, that is the only reason there hasn't been any houses built there never mind anything else.

As for your other question, really we short circuited the need for a survey and instead said that because there is NO provision of these facilities in the immediate area the need was clearly there. The consultants are coming up to hold talks with any possible users and we had to supply contact details for any local user groups that might use such a facility in the future. As for location and cost, these are a bit more complicated. All and any possible sites around the town are being considered and there are two groups with outline bids going into that pot. You have to realise in the current financial climate, never mind the fact that we have been on the wrong side of the tracks for 30 odd years, we are operating under very real constraints and a balance has to be found which might not tick all the boxes we hope for, but, provide us with a real possibility of actually seeing something worthwhile and effective put up. That is why we had to get independent specialists involved who will for once unequivocally answer the sorts of questions you ask. Once those questions have been answered, and no one knows which way it might go (!!!!), there should be a development plan, business plan and architectural plans to follow, they are part of the brief to these consultants.

[Monsta®]

leave the twenty acres alone! hopefully this convenant will stand for another hundred years, otherwise we'll have no open fields left.

[Malcolm Robinson]

leave the twenty acres alone! hopefully this convenant will stand for another hundred years, otherwise we'll have no open fields left.

You wanting the pooper scooper rights Monsta?

[Stephen]

leave the twenty acres alone! hopefully this convenant will stand for another hundred years, otherwise we'll have no open fields left.

How would you feel about some playground equipment on the 20 acres though or, say, a crazy golf course, as long as most of it was left as open field?

[Rea]

Who has control of the convenant? why not use the space on the 20 acre site to good use not just for the odd dog walker, or incorporate it and develop it as a community facility. As far as publicity is concerned not everyone reads the NPL or visits websites or indeed attends meetings, that is where a proper survey of everyone's opinions is needed not just the few in the know. I dont mean to be harsh but as I said have never heard of the independant report being done so if i haven't and I read the NPL and visit websites regularly what chance has anyone else, surely everyone is entitled to have an opinion.

My original post was based upon the survey being carried out by the council in Ashington only when infact many resisdents here in Bedlington have to travel to their centre so why are we not entitled to our opinion on what happens to it as well.

Edited January 29, 2010 by Rea

[Andy Millne]

I dont mean to be harsh but as I said have never heard of the independant report being done so if i haven't and I read the NPL and visit websites regularly what chance has anyone else, surely everyone is entitled to have an opinion.

Communication is a massive problem here and that is one of the things we are improving with the website. People can voice an opinion and have it reach the decision makers and the decision makers can canvas opinion at no cost. The people in the town should be making an effort to find out these things and a quick glance at the news pages once a week will give them all the information they need. There's even an RSS feed here you can subscribe to and not miss a thing.

Expecting this independant group of people to make sure everybody in the town is aware of it is unrealistic. A leaflet drop costs hundreds of pounds out of money that could be better spent elsewhere especially as the vast majority will just ignore it. As an example 5,000 flyers personally hand delivered by myself resulted in less than 20 new members here. After delivering these flyers I asked one of my neighbours what they thought of it and got the response "Oh is that what that was, I remember seeing something with Bedlington on it."!!

I know 3g is in the process of putting together a monthly email that will go out to all members as well so the people that aren't regular visitors will be made aware of issues in the town and hopefully may become more regular visitors as a result.

If you've got any other suggestions on how we can help make people aware I'd love to hear them too as there's always scope for improvement. Let's not forget the guys at SNRG as well who are dedicated to getting set up to help as well. here's the news article you missed http://www.bedlington.co.uk/2009/08/bedlington-base-for-county-radio/

[Rea]

I agree and that is why I am actively promoting this website and now I am aware of the issues I will continue to do so, as it precisely this matter of communciation that worries me, I understand the cost implication and the complacancy of many people but when Bedlington has never had any facilities provided by the local authority before on anything of this scale then I believe everyone who would use a leisure centre be asked, so as a suggestion unless of course it has been done before;- why not ask everyone who attends any of our other leisure centres upon arrival the necessary questions as there is a strong likelyhood that many of them will be from Bedlington.

Communication is a massive problem here and that is one of the things we are improving with the website. People can voice an opinion and have it reach the decision makers and the decision makers can canvas opinion at no cost. The people in the town should be making an effort to find out these things and a quick glance at the news pages once a week will give them all the information they need. There's even an RSS feed here you can subscribe to and not miss a thing.

Expecting this independant group of people to make sure everybody in the town is aware of it is unrealistic. A leaflet drop costs hundreds of pounds out of money that could be better spent elsewhere especially as the vast majority will just ignore it. As an example 5,000 flyers personally hand delivered by myself resulted in less than 20 new members here. After delivering these flyers I asked one of my neighbours what they thought of it and got the response "Oh is that what that was, I remember seeing something with Bedlington on it."!!

I know 3g is in the process of putting together a monthly email that will go out to all members as well so the people that aren't regular visitors will be made aware of issues in the town and hopefully may become more regular visitors as a result.

If you've got any other suggestions on how we can help make people aware I'd love to hear them too as there's always scope for improvement. Let's not forget the guys at SNRG as well who are dedicated to getting set up to help as well. here's the news article you missed http://www.bedlington.co.uk/2009/08/bedlington-base-for-county-radio/

[Monsta®]

You wanting the pooper scooper rights Monsta?

no leave it where it drops!

How would you feel about some playground equipment on the 20 acres though or, say, a crazy golf course, as long as most of it was left as open field?

theres one next door don't need another one!

Who has control of the convenant? why not use the space on the 20 acre site to good use not just for the odd dog walker,

its is beening put to good use as an big open grassed area! why ruin every green space? there's other sites better placed for such things

[Hazelmeerkat]

I really can't see any other better site within the confines of Bedlingtonshire. Currently it is a waste of space and all of the residents should be able to utilize such an area. The problem is this town will never see any improvement or move with the times with those who refuse to accept change. Just look at the forum about the old school on Church Lane; it has cause so much annoyance to those who like to view old, dilapidated buildings and are so conservative (small 'c')will never accept change.Lets face facts- this town is stagnant and will always be so.

Just in case something better will happen to that broken eyesaw building opposite Tesco, why dont we just fight to keep it just in case something new, fresh and vibrant is built in its place? That will also keep the wheel clampers happy!

[Malcolm Robinson]

I agree and that is why I am actively promoting this website and now I am aware of the issues I will continue to do so, as it precisely this matter of communciation that worries me, I understand the cost implication and the complacancy of many people but when Bedlington has never had any facilities provided by the local authority before on anything of this scale then I believe everyone who would use a leisure centre be asked, so as a suggestion unless of course it has been done before;- why not ask everyone who attends any of our other leisure centres upon arrival the necessary questions as there is a strong likelyhood that many of them will be from Bedlington.

Rea,

I think there is another equally valid point at stake here. For the last 30 odd years we have been told we didn't need a sports facility because there were several within a short distance either by car or bus. Well if the population of Bedlingtonshire has for the first time overtaken the population of the Ashington area in terms of numbers then if a new sports centre is needed why not build it here? Same reasoning would apply wouldn't it?

H,

I can symphonise with your view H but like all good conundrums there are other salient points to consider. Those being the development is slap bang in the middle of a supposed conservation area, there are already issues with vehicular access to and from Church lane, the church itself has problems of access now especially at times of weddings and funerals and there seems overwhelming opposition towards this development within the community, given the building which will be lost.

Anyone supporting this development at the last Town Council meeting would have been stoned!

[Merlin]

Hazelmere, I for one have no objection to the old school being knocked down, what I do object to is 19 flats being built on the site! Why not build one or two houses on the site this would solve a few problems.

Rea, Can you honestly think that the residents opposite the 20 acres would be happy with a massive construction in front of their properties, there would be more outcry than the old shool. It would devalue their properties for one and a few other reasons I can think of but won't mention them on here(yes, a bit unusual for me, but there you go)

[Mr Darn]

I personally think the 20 acre site, and the football fields from there to west lea should remain as-is.

Theres more than enough land to build one if you demolish tesco and build onto the waste land.

Either that or move the place oppisite Netto's to the elliots garage/terrier site and build it there.