ALTON’S new sports centre has to be fit for purpose and “man enough” to serve the needs of a growing community.

This was the clear message to come out of Alton Town Council’s elector’s meeting last Wednesday as members of the town’s sporting community used the platform to raise fears that Alton could end up with a partially privatised leisure centre rather than the new sports centre it deserves.

With “time of the essence”, the pressure is on to galvanise the wider community to fight for a centre fit for the 21st century.

Following a briefing by East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) project manager Sean Hardman-Grant, who confirmed that the contract was due to be signed this week with Sports Leisure Management (trading as Everyone Active) to build and run East Hampshire’s three sports and leisure centres, there was nervous reaction that the services to be provided may not be what people want.

The intention is to spend £30m on the building of two new sporting facilities at Alton and Bordon, and the refurbishment of the Taro Leisure Centre in Petersfield. The refurbishment is to be carried out this year, prior to the construction of a new state-of-the-art sports centre, to be located on the artificial turf court behind the existing centre, to open in Alton by the end of 2019.

But while there is excitement in Alton over the new project, there is anxiety over the lack of consultation and that a recent statement issued by EHDC revealed the absence of an eight-lane competition pool – top of the list of key requirements, and a disappointing reduction in the number of squash courts.

While Mr Hardman-Grant gave an assurance that he would be consulting with as many user groups as possible once the contract has been signed, the fear is that it will be too late to influence the offering and that the community will be presented with a “fait accompli”.

According to EHDC, the new facility can be expected to include a six-lane, 25-metre pool, a learner pool, a six-court sports hall, two fitness studios, squash courts, a gym, a climbing wall, and a soft play area.

It will also provide “significant commercial investment” between EHDC and Everyone Active in the shape of a destination spa.

Speaking at the meeting, councillor Andrew Joy stressed that Alton has a sports centre not a leisure centre and that core to sports centre requirement has always been an eight-lane competition pool which could serve the entire district and generate income for the centre.

It was a point reinforced by Louise Fletcher, from Alton and District Swimming Club, who told the meeting that, with a waiting list of more than 100 people, this successful club has been hanging on at Alton in the hope of getting a new eight-lane pool which could be used to host competitions and be split to enable the public to use half for recreational swimming, leaving lanes free for lessons and training.

Gwen Clifford, a unit leader for Brownies and Guides in Four Marks and Medstead, and involved in primary and secondary education, had similar concerns, stating that students from Eggar’s and Amery Hill schools didn’t use the pool at Alton because it didn’t meet GCSE requirements but travelled instead to the 50m pool in Aldershot.

She was concerned that the new centre would not be a “like-for-like” replacement but that sporting provision would be diminished to make way for a private “leisure” element, aimed at making money.

In pointing out that around 50 per cent of the sports centre client base comes from the surrounding villages, Mrs Clifford said that the provision of a new facility should “not just be about making money but about serving this growing community”.

James Line, of Alton’s thriving Squash Academy, expressed similar disappointment over the proposal to replace four permanent courts with two fold-out squash courts.

Having spoken at the meeting on behalf of Alton and District Sports Council, chairman Joe Walters re-emphasised his concerns that “the whole process appears to be driven by the need for a quick return on investment”.

He flagged up the difficulty in obtaining information from EHDC on the usage of the current sports centre and the need for more transparency involving greater public consultation so that Alton gets the centre it needs.

Mr Walters pointed out that rather than taking the conventional approach of establishing what is needed, finding the ground space and then a contractor to build and run the new centre, EHDC appears to have found the contractor, asked what it is prepared to offer, tried to fit it into a plot of land that may not be suitable or large enough, and then told the public what they are getting.

He added: “I would be very happy to be proven wrong and find that there is (as being reported by East Hampshire District Council), wriggle room enough in the contract to ensure the town gets what is needed for the next 20 years.

“But it would be a travesty if when the contract is signed it turns out that the only thing left to decide on is the colour of the front door.”