OKEHAMPTON Town Council has wholeheartedly reinforced its decision to support a plan by West Devon Borough Council for a sports complex and swimming pool in Simmons Park.
The council, which agreed earlier this year to put £60,000 into the £2.7 million project which is being submitted for lottery funding, voted 11-0 to go along with the scheme, with one abstention.
Members were asked to consider a conceptual plan for the East Okement Valley at its meeting on Monday night by local architect Peter Woodgate which showed what could be achieved in this area of the town in terms of educational, sporting, recreational, cultural and environmental uses.
Mayor of Okehampton Christine Marsh said she had asked the architect to come up with a plan following concerns at a public meeting about encroachment of the proposed complex on the green area of the park.
Although Mr Woodgate's plan did not include a site for new sporting facility, he talked about the creation of a new sporting area behind the existing football field by cutting into the hillside, widening the leat road and expanding the car parking area behind the all weather pitch and a new road to ease traffic congestion on Mill Road.
He told the council he was looking at the whole area instead of taking areas in isolation which is something the borough council had come under fire for doing.
'It is important we get this right for our generation and our children's generation,' he said.
The council was told that the swimming pool could be sited within the curtilage of Okehampton College but this suggestion has been rejected by West Devon Borough Council. The authority had said that the Lottery Board does not favour community applications of this nature within school sites and such a location would not be so popular with the public.
Town councillors felt that they should continue to support the plans by West Devon Borough Council because any delays at this stage would jeopardise the match funding which had been put into the scheme — £410,000 from the borough council and £150,000 from Devon County Council.
Cllr Hyder Pirwany said: 'Any more delays and we will lose everything. If we lose the finances Okehampton will collapse.'
Cllr Sheila Gregory said the proposal was agreed and match funding had been found: 'The borough and county council are not going to fund any other proposals — if we do not go ahead with this we will be left with nothing.'
Members were concerned that the current condition of the existing swimming pool meant it could be closed down at any time. Cllr Perry Valance said he thought Mr Woodgate's ideas were very good but the town needed a swimming pool now.
But Deputy Mayor Frances Luxton said Mr Woodgate's plan for the whole area should be given some thought.
'This is an Okehampton man who has a vision for the town,' she said. 'The authorities made up their mind where to site the sports complex from the word go and they will not listen to anything we say — the borough council is telling us where the best place is and threatening us with no money.'
Her comments were reiterated by Cllr Sylvia Westlake: 'This is an excellent thing Mr Woodgate had done and I support anything he does because he had Okehampton at heart. Things should be done to suit the people of Okehampton not the officers of West Devon borough council.'
The council agreed to treat the conceptual plan for the Okement Valley by Peter Woodgate as a separate issue to the swimming pool/ sports hall complex and gave their support to it.