Post by observer on Feb 12, 2015 16:39:51 GMT
SO the cat is finally out of the bag. The controversial Walton Sports Hub at Waterside Drive is expected to cost between £15-18million, around three times the £6million that was predicted when Elmbridge Council announced the scheme in 2009.
The news is really no surprise to anyone who has followed the erratic progress of a scheme shrouded in mystery, false trails and obfuscation.
There has been something not quite right about the story from the very start. Virtually every other application for such a large development would almost automatically have to be accompanied by a thorough land survey.
But Elmbridge Council, who are in the privileged position of being the applicant and also the judge and jury, clearly did not think this needed to apply to them as they went through numerous stages of the application BEFORE finally making the land search.
And surprise, surprise, their expensive investigations found "deep and extensive contamination" under the site, which they could have found out for nothing had they just listened to the local residents who had seen nearly two decades of unlimited tipping by individuals and large companies alike, with kitchenware, and furniture being dumped alongside harmful poisonous waste.
To be able to find nearly enough money to pay for the Sports Hub, plus crucial decontamination, the Council have been forced to reconsider their plans for Stompond Lane, with the most likely outcome being the dumping of all the public facilities, including doctors surgery and creche. An element of social housing is also likely to disappear so the most money can be generated.
Even then it appears likely that there will be a shortfall of around £2-3million which would make sense of the fact that the council have included in future budgets another amount ( they refuse to call it a contingency fund) of around the same figure. This money would, of course have to come out of the public purse, which I am sure the ratepayers of Elmbridge would be less than amused to contemplate.
I am reliably informed that Coun Sadler, one of the few sane voices at EBC over the last few years, was due to raise this matter at the Cabinet Meeting on Wednesday evening.
And one other point still to be settled is the bill for compensation of around £1milion on the part of Stompond Lane which is under convenant.
If you have got this far then you might be wondering what you can do now
1)Contact your own local Elmbridge councillor ASAP and ask him or her.
a) Are you happy that it will cost THREE times as much as originally estimated to build the new sports hub?
b) Are you happy that ALL the proceeds from selling off Stompond Lane ( a one-off asset) will be completely swallowed up in paying for the Sports hub?
c) Are they happy that because of the shortfall between the two project another £2-3million will probably have to come out of the public purse to fund the project, meaning less money for other works that need to be done in the Borough?
d) Are they aware that the alternative plans that W&H originally put forward for Stompond Lane would have been for a joint venture between club and council and not, as has been widely and persistently rumoured, a deal that would leave the club with everything and the council ( and ratepayers) with nothing.
2) report back on this site what reactions you got.
The news is really no surprise to anyone who has followed the erratic progress of a scheme shrouded in mystery, false trails and obfuscation.
There has been something not quite right about the story from the very start. Virtually every other application for such a large development would almost automatically have to be accompanied by a thorough land survey.
But Elmbridge Council, who are in the privileged position of being the applicant and also the judge and jury, clearly did not think this needed to apply to them as they went through numerous stages of the application BEFORE finally making the land search.
And surprise, surprise, their expensive investigations found "deep and extensive contamination" under the site, which they could have found out for nothing had they just listened to the local residents who had seen nearly two decades of unlimited tipping by individuals and large companies alike, with kitchenware, and furniture being dumped alongside harmful poisonous waste.
To be able to find nearly enough money to pay for the Sports Hub, plus crucial decontamination, the Council have been forced to reconsider their plans for Stompond Lane, with the most likely outcome being the dumping of all the public facilities, including doctors surgery and creche. An element of social housing is also likely to disappear so the most money can be generated.
Even then it appears likely that there will be a shortfall of around £2-3million which would make sense of the fact that the council have included in future budgets another amount ( they refuse to call it a contingency fund) of around the same figure. This money would, of course have to come out of the public purse, which I am sure the ratepayers of Elmbridge would be less than amused to contemplate.
I am reliably informed that Coun Sadler, one of the few sane voices at EBC over the last few years, was due to raise this matter at the Cabinet Meeting on Wednesday evening.
And one other point still to be settled is the bill for compensation of around £1milion on the part of Stompond Lane which is under convenant.
If you have got this far then you might be wondering what you can do now
1)Contact your own local Elmbridge councillor ASAP and ask him or her.
a) Are you happy that it will cost THREE times as much as originally estimated to build the new sports hub?
b) Are you happy that ALL the proceeds from selling off Stompond Lane ( a one-off asset) will be completely swallowed up in paying for the Sports hub?
c) Are they happy that because of the shortfall between the two project another £2-3million will probably have to come out of the public purse to fund the project, meaning less money for other works that need to be done in the Borough?
d) Are they aware that the alternative plans that W&H originally put forward for Stompond Lane would have been for a joint venture between club and council and not, as has been widely and persistently rumoured, a deal that would leave the club with everything and the council ( and ratepayers) with nothing.
2) report back on this site what reactions you got.
