EVERYONE Active, the firm providing Alton’s new sports centre, defended their plans last week as critics continue to feel left out of the loop.

The resounding theme at last Wednesday’s public meeting was that, love it or hate it, the designs for the new sports centre aren’t up for debate.

The hard reality of Everyone Active’s business plan and facilities mix meant anyone suggesting alterations was simply too late. And therein lies the crux of contention – a perception that Alton residents were not sufficiently consulted on the centre before contracts were drawn up.

Heading the town council’s open forum at Alton Community Centre, town mayor Dean Phillips kicked off proceedings by addressing “the elephant in the room”.

He explained that all parties accept “public engagement has fallen considerably short of the mark” and said stakeholders are well aware some people feel “apprehensive about the new centre”.

“And why wouldn’t you?” he added. “Details have appeared vague and many feel that they have been left out of the journey.”

However, he hoped the meeting would be an opportunity for more “collaborative dialogue” and an “understanding of each other’s positions”.

Details of the new centre were unveiled, with an artist’s impressions showing the six-lane, 1.8m-deep swimming pool and learner pool with an adjustable depth, a sports hall, two squash courts, gym, cafe, changing rooms, and a “destination spa”.

Sean Herdman-Grant, East Hampshire District Council’s (EHDC) leisure account manager, explained that, following a tendering process, Everyone Active proposed a winning bid to provide new facilities in Alton, Bordon, and refurbishments to the Taro in Petersfield. This is a £30m scheme with Alton receiving “the lion’s share” of spending (almost £20m).

The contract, signed in April, will see Everyone Active paying EHDC an annual management fee for the next 20 years. In contrast, former centre operators Places for People received a subsidy of almost £300,000.

But, Mr Herdman-Grant said, the days of such subsidies are gone. So creating an “affordable mix” of facilities to ensure the project is “future proof” is essential.

Ultimately, the scheme is driven both by the need to provide Alton with sporting facilities and by the market. Hence the destination spa having its own entrance and possible pricing structure – another source of controversy.

The need to generate profit is a double-edged sword, and means every square foot of floorspace is calculated with the revenue in mind. On the other hand, it is in Everyone Active’s best interest to make the centre as popular as possible.

Mr Herdman-Grant said this is the “fairest way” of operating as those who use the facility will literally pay for it.

But this commercial reality leaves little scope for full public consultation. In fact, when asked how much “wiggle room” there actually is, Mr Herdman-Grant said that, as the contract has already been “agreed by both parties”, if EHDC made changes there could be “serious financial implications”.

“If we jeopardise the validity of the contract, we may not be able to deliver the project,” he warned.

David Love, Everyone Active’s area contract manager, said he and his colleagues have an “established track record”, overseeing 158 centres nationally, working with 48 different authorities.

As for why details had been kept quiet for so long, he explained the competitive tendering process meant proposals were put together by people “working at risk”. The initial plans were just an outline scheme – clarity came after they had won the bid.

As EHDC turns away from the subsidy model and embraces the private sector, the public might well wonder if a lack of consultation is inherent and inevitable.

Particularly critical of the plans is Alton and District Sports Council chairman Joe Walters, who accused Everyone Active of “not replacing like with like” and providing inadequate sporting provision.

He told the panel that they were “losing people’s confidence” and later described the meeting as “depressing”.

Now, he hopes “the ground swell of public opinion” can be used to “fight” the campaign at the planning stage.

Alton town councillor Pam Jones said: “Behind all this, I get the impression that Everyone Active have kind of been dropped in it.

I get the impression the district council told Everyone Active what we all wanted,” she said. “The trouble is, nobody’s asked us.” It was unclear, she added, “who this sports centre is actually for”.

“Again, I leave the meeting incredibly frustrated and just a little angry,” she said, to applause.

But Mr Love had a more optimistic stance when reflecting on the evening.

“The meeting was a positive opportunity for residents to get an insight into how the new sports centre will look, as well as the wealth of sports, activity and leisure opportunities it will bring to the community,” he said.

“Alton is passionate about sports and activity, and this is the largest project of its type to be carried out in the town for many years. As such, we expect high levels of public interest in the new centre and its facilities.”

In May-June, Alton Town Council held its own sports centre consultation, asking residents for their views on the project.

There were 2,500 responses featuring, according to Mr Jones, “very little positive comment”.

When asked if any part of the plan, facility mix or centre designs had changed whatsoever in light of that consultation, Mr Herdman-Grant’s straightforward answer seemed to concentrate concerns perfectly. “No,” he said.