Fears squash courts may be axed in £5.6m Rossendale leisure revamp (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Fears squash courts may be axed in £5.6m Rossendale leisure revamp

6:50pm Sunday 21st March 2010 in

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FEARS have been raised that squash courts may be axed when Rossendale leisure facilities are subject to a £5.6million revamp.

Earlier this month, councillors rubber stamped the investment which will see a new swimming pool at Haslingden Sports Centre and more than £2million spent at Marl Pits to improve the pool.

In addition, Marl Pits will also gain four new 5-a-side football pitches and a fitness suite with 45 stations.

But Liberal Democrat councillors said they had discovered the plans reveal Hasilngden's two squash courts will be replaced by changing facilities, while they claimed the borough's only other court - at Bacup Leisure Hall - was 'likely to be closed'.

Council chiefs said they would ask for new squash courts, but the final decision depended on the proposals by the firm chosen to carry out the project.

Coun Jim Pilling, said: “We have asked if there would be any provision for squash at a recent council meeting but failed to get an answer.

“At the moment Haslingden has two courts but we believe that the plans show that these will be replaced by new changing facilities.

“The only other court in the valley is at Bacup Leisure Hall, which looks likely to be closed as well.

“We believe that there will be no courts at all soon.”

Responding to concerns expressed by the Rossendale Lib Dems, Coun Jason Gledhill, Rossendale said: "As part of Rossendale council’s £5.6million investment in leisure, we are working up a precise design brief for the developments at Haslingden and Marl Pits to go out to tender.

“This will include a request to include new squash courts at one of the sites as detailed within the leisure report.

“Dependant upon responses to the tender, decisions will be made with regard to future squash provision.”

The council said the number of squash users at Bacup Leisure Hall was very low.

Rossendale Leisure Trust, which runs the facility for the local authority, will provide the council with recent figures next week before an detailed assessment is carried out.