SINCE Bury Council’s intentions to demolish Radcliffe Civic Suite were announced last month, debate has raged over whether the ambitious plans for the future of leisure and entertainment in the town can or should be delivered. Daniel Holland explores the background to the proposals and what the future holds.

A PROCESS that began with the closure of the old Radcliffe Pool and Leisure Centre being shut down because of severe storm damage could end in a few years’ time with a £10 million state-of-the-art facility standing on the same site.

The ambitious concept designs for a new leisure and entertainment venue in Green Street have been released this week, showcasing the latest piece of the jigsaw in the council’s vision for Radcliffe – following on from a refurbished market, new bus station, and a soon-to-be-announced supermarket.

However, the idea has been met in some quarters with scepticism and fears that this project could go the same way as the proposed high school that is yet to materialise.

Cllr Rishi Shori – the Bury Council’s deputy leader – faced down such questions in a heated debate at the Civic Suite, which will be demolished in April to make way for 40 new homes.

He said: “When it became clear in December 2013 that it wasn’t worthwhile to repair the old pool, we started investigating how to take this forward. If we were going to have all of the new affordable housing we wanted, it couldn’t be built in Green Street. The grant we have for that is based on Thomas Street.

“Using this site to build 40 affordable homes for people who need support, predominately the elderly, will make a really big difference to people’s lives. What will happen to this site otherwise?

“If you present this as a choice between closing the civic suite and not, then that’s a false choice. This place could close in three years anyway, as could the other civic halls in the borough. We need to take bold decisions to make sure we have something here in Radcliffe.”

Why not build the new centre before knocking down the Civic Suite?

The grant the council has been given by the Homes and Communities Agency to build in Thomas Street is fixed to specific timescales, so the Civic Suite is set to close in April with demolition to follow in the months after. The housing development is due to be complete by March 2018.

At last week’s meeting Labour and Green Party members argued over the specifics of the grant – the Greens claim that the grant could have been applied to any piece of land in the town, while Labour say the bid document identifies the Civic Suite and surrounding area as the sole option.

In the time between the Civic Suite closing and the new centre opening – which it is promised will take no more than three years – activities will be relocated to other sites, such as the temporary leisure centre in Spring Lane and the Primary Care Centre in Church Street West.

Cllr Shori explained why the new venue cannot be built sooner, saying that the council’s funding pot had already been depleted by the construction and running of the temporary pool in Spring Lane, which opened earlier this year and will remain open until the new venue is completed.

The new facility, which will cost up to £10 million depending on what the final designs are, will be funded by money raised by Bury Council in the coming years – through borrowing, using existing funds, and allocating receipts raised through the sale of council assets in other parts of the borough.

Funding plans will be finalised once the business plan for the venue is complete, in order for the council to ensure there will be enough money to keep the venue running after it’s built.

Are we losing a piece of Radcliffe history?

The arguments against closing the Civic Suite have been clear, with Radcliffe Carnival chairman Andrew Clarkson leading the charge against the demolition of a “unique and iconic” building, which he and Labour councillors fought together to save from being turned into a library five years ago.

More than 400 people have signed a petition calling on the council to revoke their decision, however Mr Clarkson admitted last week that he would have to accept defeat, saying: “I’m resigned to the fact that what will happen will happen. We don’t need a new building, we have an existing one and I don’t understand why we need to lose it. But I feel like a lone voice. The people who were behind us five years ago are now opposing me.

“This is a piece of Radcliffe’s heritage and the best civic hall in the borough. What we, the people of Radcliffe say, doesn’t seem to have any impact. We are destroying something in order to have a dream of something else.

“They don’t need to convince me because I have no say in the matter whatsoever. I surrender.”

Business leader Eugene O’Donnell also raised concerns over a new housing development doing little to enhance life in the town centre, when bars or restaurants would be a more attractive option.

Cllr Shori said: “We are only going to be able to grow Radcliffe in partnership. We have to make decisions in a very short timescale and there wasn’t another option. Hopefully when people see that we are investing, they will come in and do likewise. These aren’t good times economically to get investment and we can only control what we do.”

Fellow Labour councillor Jane Lewis added that the Civic Suite was not used enough to justify keeping it open.

She said: “This facility is only used 18 per cent of the time it is open. The money we use to subsidise it will no longer be available very soon. The Civic Suite needs some serious investment to bring it up to standard – is that money we want to spend here, or on something new?”

Consultation

A planning consultation on the taking up of public land around the Civic Suite closed last week, with more than 100 objections submitted.
However, of 112 pro forma objection letters sent to the council, only 22 were from Radcliffe residents.
The council also received one letter from a Radcliffe resident, three letters from members of the Green Party, and two emails providing objections.
A decision will be made by the council in December, while similar formal processes will be held when plans are submitted for the housing development and the new Green Street venue.
The council is currently seeking residents’ opinions on what they want to see in the new leisure centre.
A questionnaire is available at bury.gov.uk/radcliffe-regeneration or from Radcliffe Civic Suite, Radcliffe Leisure Centre, or Radcliffe Library.