£3 million Boost For Stotfold
At its meeting today, Mid Beds’ Executive agreed to provide a financial contribution of £3.06 million to Stotfold Town Council to enable the project to go ahead if they successfully secure the remainder of the funding.
It is envisaged that the new leisure facility will include:
· Four badminton court sports hall
· Floodlit synthetic football pitch
· Three full size adult football pitches – including a new home for Stotfold Football Club
· Four mini football pitches
· Synthetic Cricket Wicket
· Outdoor performance area
· Multi-purpose halls
· Fitness Suite
· Changing Facilities
· Play areas and trim trail
· Squash Court
· 25m Shooting range
The new £9.8 million Leisure centre will be built on a 24-acre site currently owned by Bedfordshire County Council, who have committed to sell the land for this community leisure facility to be built.
Mid Beds will insist on joint ownership of the land and our Leisure Management Contractors (currently Stevenage Leisure Ltd.) would run the facility. We will also be represented throughout the delivery of this project.
Officers from Mid Beds District Council have already taken an active roll in talks with the Town Council to see this project through to date. Financial contributions of £276,000 have already been secured from the Fairfield Development and a further £1,141,360 of Developer contributions is hoped for by the Town Council, from the development of Land South of Stotfold and other local developments.
In a joint statement Mid Beds District Councillors, Christina Turner and John Saunders said: “We are absolutely delighted that Mid Beds Executive have agreed to provide over £3million towards our much needed leisure facility.
“This follows years of planning and hard work by officers and Councillors in bringing this project to where it is today.
“Stotfold, once a small town, is now growing at a rapid rate, with new developments built and planned for the future. It is therefore essential that residents are provided with improved and increased facilities to help swallow the sometimes bitter pill of development and to cater for the swelling population.”
County and District Councillor, John Street said: “I am pleased that the County Council have been able to help by agreeing to sell this land to the council. This is a project I have been involved in for some time, so it is rewarding to see it taking another step towards realisation.”
Next Steps
Mid Beds will release funds for the new Leisure Facility only once all other funding is guaranteed, including the signing of contracts for these.
We anticipate that Stotfold Town Council will soon submit a planning application for the facility. If the application meets the right criteria and is successful, work could begin as early as this Autumn with completion in late 2009.
