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Councillors back sports village plan - COMMENT ON THIS STORY
A SPORTS village for Scarborough is a step closer after councillors gave the plan their backing.
Members heard that the plan could free up areas of council-owned land and provide top class facilities where sports stars of the future can train.
Features could include a 25m competition swimming pool, a sports hall, outdoor pitches to meet required standards for football clubs, along with community, health and education facilities.
A report on the scheme's progress was delivered to members of Scarborough Council's cabinet last month and the plan was further discussed by the full council this week.
Cllr Tom Fox said: "It's been a long time coming but it's very important that we go out there to see how we can take this forward."
The sports village is central to plans to build 150 homes as part of a scheme involving three prominent Scarborough sites.
The homes are likely to be split between the old McCain Stadium site in Seamer Road and the Filey Road sports centre site.
New sports facilities would then be built at Weaponness Valley coach park - the project has been given a timescale of between three and five years.
Previously councillors agreed with plans to choose a private sector partner for the development on the Weaponness site.
But Cllr Brian Watson said he had grave concerns about the proposal because it was unclear whether the covenant - restricting development of the former football stadium - was still in place.
He added: "I don't think that Scarborough can support two football teams. We should talk about the borough of Scarborough not just Scarborough town.
"There is a small minority that wish there's a football ground here and this is what is driving the sports village. I'm not sure there are enough people supporting it."
Cllr Fox said that the covenant no longer existed following an earlier promise made by the council. "Could a football ground survive on its own? The answer is no hence the sports village concept," he added.
Cllr Jane Mortimer said she was very pleased to see the report and saw it as a chance for the area to get a sports village which would encourage other pursuits such as hockey and athletics.
She added: "There would be a multitude of sports not just football. It's bigger than that and it's something that, as a borough, we can aspire to."
Cllr Colin Haddington said he fully supported the idea because the area was falling behind in the quality of its training facilities. He said: "The youth of this borough deserve it."
But Cllr Eric Broadbent felt that the idea was paying "lip service" to the need for a football stadium in the town.
The town has been without a football stadium since Scarborough FC folded in 2007.
The council bought their former Seamer Road home, the McCain Stadium, from administrators Begbies Traynor for 1.3 million 18 months ago but engineers found it would cost 1 million to return the ground to an "acceptable standard".
However, planning policy required the provision of a replacement stadium.
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Weather for Scarborough
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: -6 C to 3 C
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Temperature: -2 C to -1 C
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