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£9 million leisure centre deal is off
Flitwick pulls plug on negotiations with Mid Beds Council.
Plans to build a new leisure centre in Flitwick have been scrapped because councillors cannot agree who should pay for and profit from the scheme.
Flitwick town councillors compared Mid Beds District Council to notorious highwayman Dick Turpin after district planning bosses said they expected the town council to pay for half the development, but would take all the revenue once it was built.
Town councillors decided at a meeting on Tuesday not to continue with the plans, following a letter from Mid Beds stating the town council was expected to provide 4 million of the 9 million costs, and land at Millennium Park for the leisure centre, but would not get any of the profits in return.
The letter also stated that as the district council has a lease on the existing Steppingley Road leisure centre site, it would take a share of the money raised by the town council's plans to sell the land for housing development.
Coun Stephen Mitchell said: "Mid Beds want to keep all the revenue, so there is no return for our money.
"The letter is signed by Sue Lyons. I think it would have been better if it was signed by Dick Turpin.
"I have lived here all my life and I would like to propose this project simply cannot go forward as it is.
"Clearly these proposals are not in the best interest of the residents of Flitwick."
Coun Roland Goodman added: "The leisure centre at Biggleswade was fully funded by Mid Beds, same as the one in Stotfold. There is no leisure centre in west Bedfordshire other than the one we built. We need a return for our residents' money."
After the meeting, Carol Carter, clerk of Flitwick Town Council, said: "We were gobsmacked when we read the letter. Mid Beds have made it impossible for us to accept the plans."
However, Coun Stephen Male (Con, Flitwick West), who sits on Mid Beds District Council, said the situation was not quite as presented by town councillors at the meeting – and that the district council merely wanted to go back and take a second look at the plans, but was happy to continue negotiations.
A spokesman for the district council added: "We have a 150-year lease on the current leisure centre, so if that land was sold we have expressed an interest in a share of the profits.
"Also, if we take all the risk of running the new leisure centre we should take all the profits.
"Flitwick Town Council want to blame us because they got the plans wrong and had an angry response from their residents."
The town council's decision not to continue with the proposed construction at Millennium Park, in Dunstable Road, has been hailed a minor victory by residents and their action group which was formed and dubbed Flitwick At The Crossroads.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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