WESTLAND LEISURE COMPLEX: Refurb work could start early next year

REFURBISHMENT works at the Westland Sports and Leisure Complex could start as early as February next year – after South Somerset District Council moved a step closer to taking over the facilities.

Members of the council voted tonight (Tuesday, October 13, 2015) in favour of the authority taking a 30-year £1.8m loan as part of an overall £2.7m refurbishment project.

The council will now formally submit and negotiate terms with Finmeccanica–AgustaWestland to take over the management and operation of the Complex for a 30-year term. Terms are expected to be subject to approval and final sign off by the Chief Executive of Finmeccanica.

There was an estimated to be over 350 members of public in attendance for the meeting with 12 people speaking in support of the complex reopening.

It is expected that occupation of the Complex by SSDC will be February 2016 at the earliest, which is when refurbishment works will commence.

It was back on May 12, 2015, that AgustaWestland announced it planned to close the complex at the end of September this year due to increasing costs and the growing subsidy it had to make to keep the site open, along with the impending major investments required to modernise the facilities.

There was a lot of opposition to the closure plans by many of the user-groups based at the complex and it prompted the district council and Yeovil Town Council to meet with AgustaWestland to discuss its future.

At the meeting all parties agreed to carry out a feasibility appraisal to assess the viability of the district council or another organisation operating the site and continuing to provide a range of sports and leisure facilities for the overall benefit of the community.

Cllr Ric Pallister, leader of the South Somerset District Council, said: “The complex has been a locally important and long standing venue regularly hosting a vast array of sporting activities and different events ranging from functions, conferences, meetings, training events, to weddings, ballroom dances, award ceremonies, festivals and entertainment events.

“The council believes that the complex has the potential to be a first class vibrant entertainment, function and conferencing complex and a successful sport hub once extensive modernisation and refurbishment has taken place and councillors have taken the right decision to approve the loan.”

For the record 37 councillors voted in favour of the 30-year £1.8m Internal Loan to use towards refurbishment of the complex, and although nobody voted against, there were 17 councillors who abstained from voting.

More news on the meeting to come.

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