MANAGERS at the new multi-million pound sports centre in Okehampton have promised work to improve access provision for people with disabilities will be carried out very soon.
A buzzer entry system is ready to be installed at the entrance of the centre following a complaint from a disabled woman who visited it for the first time last week.
Annie Coates, who lives in Okehampton, visited the new pool last Tuesday but was angered to find no provision had been made for automatic doors.
Mrs Coates said she had been ?furious? about the oversight, and pointed out that by law public buildings now have to be accessible to people with disabilities.
?It is beautiful by the looks of it, but there are a great many people in Okehampton who are disabled and won?t be able to get into the new centre unless there is someone there to open the door for them.?
Mrs Coates said she had been very excited about going down to Simmons Park to see the new facilities, but said she was ?annoyed and upset? to see the building had a push-entry door.
?I don?t want to have to ask people for help, I want to have my independence,? said Mrs Coates.
West Devon Borough Council spokesperson Alison Stoneham said the council had not overlooked the inclusion of disabled access to the new centre, but the problem had been caused by a delay in the supply of the electric buzzer system.
Mrs Stoneham said there was an intercom button by the barrier at the entrance to the new centre, which disabled visitors to the centre were being encouraged to press to let the centre?s reception staff know they may have difficulty getting into the building.
She said the centre?s managers were asking disabled visitors to continue using these arrangements until the new buzzer arrives.
Mrs Stoneham said the architect visited the site this week and was hopeful the ground-floor level buzzer system could be installed next week.
?The Parklands Centre fully complies with the Disability Discrimination Act, and has showers and toilets designed for disabled people, a wheel-chair accessible lift and disabled parking bays,? Mrs Stoneham added.