Sport England Maintains Objection to Loss of Swindon Sports Hall Amid Housing Plan

Sport England continues to object to the sports hall’s loss, advocating for replacement facilities amid Swindon’s housing development plans.

Sport England Maintains Objection to Loss of Swindon Sports Hall Amid Housing Plan
Sport England Maintains Objection to Loss of Swindon Sports Hall Amid Housing Plan

Hey, listen to this about the Swindon sports center. It’s about some new housing. A company wants to build over 700 apartments there.

Sport England initially opposed the plan because they worried about losing sports spaces. They didn’t want the sports hall and music venue gone.

But, a report caused some confusion as it wrongly said Sport England changed its mind. That’s not true, they still objected. They think the plan ignores important guidelines.

These guidelines say you can’t just build over sports places. You must replace them with something equal or better. Their main concern is the loss of squash and sports halls.

Sport England might change their position in the future if the company could justify the loss or replace the lost facilities. This replacement could be onsite, offsite, or both. Sport England isn’t against the housing itself though.

The housing company isn’t known for building sports places; they are more of a housing developer. The company will pay the council funds. The council will use the money for new sports places.

This is especially important because the housing will increase demand. New residents will need sports facilities. Local facilities might not handle the new demand. So, new housing needs to support new sports. Schools alone cannot fulfill community sporting needs.

Ultimately, Sport England is okay with the housing, but this hinges on the funds being used for new sports facilities. The funds will come through a Community Infrastructure Levy.

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