The Rose Bowl hotel plan centre of another blocking attempt (From Daily Echo)

Perhaps the Council might like to consider borrowing £32 million to build some affordable council housing? That would create jobs and bring in extra revenue.

Why are Eastleigh Borough Council continuing to pursue their proposal to borrow £32 million to buy into and part finance what is basically a private commercial venture?

Are Eastleigh Borough Councillors and Officers aware that, according to a 2003 MORI poll, cricket had a participation percentage of only 2% compared with 10% for Association Football (Soccer), 3% for tennis, 5% for snooker, 6% for golf, 12% gym, 9% swimming and even 9% for darts!

The same poll reveals the TV viewing percentage for cricket to be 17%, ranking it at 6th behind soccer, Rugby Union, tennis, athletics and even snooker!

Yet the Council still wants to fund a private commercial venture that is, without doubt, Hampshire County Cricket Club problem and not the Borough ratepayers. This is a scheme that is viewed by many to be a potential ‘white elephant’? It is my belief that this proposed £32 million spend is so ludicrous that it sets new standards of financial recklessness by all those involved.

Did the Borough Council ever suggest borrowing such capital sums to part fund Southampton Football Club doomed move to Stoneham?

Did the Borough Council ever consider funding the failed Hotel and Conference Centre proposed for Chestnut Avenue back in the ‘90’s?

The answer to both of the above is a resounding ‘NO’ – and I’m sure that over the years there have been many similar schemes that have fallen due to insufficient funding, it’s called ‘market forces’.

Even part funding a venture such as this could be compared to the worst of the grand statues to Joe Stalin that were erected during and after the Soviet dictators reign. Is it possible that the Liberal Democratic Peoples Republic of Hedge End, West End and Botley want a lasting monument to the folly of their Council Leader?

If Eastleigh Borough Council wants to spend £32,200,000 here’s a few alternative suggestions:

1. Improved concessionary travel and welfare services for the elderly. No financial return for this one, but it’s a vote winner!

2. Work with Hampshire County Council to provide increased and cheaper day care places for pre-school children throughout the Borough. In theory this should give parents who want to work the chance to. This in turn generates more GDP and reduces the burden on the welfare state.

3. Work in partnership with the MoD, NHS local Health Authorities and ‘Help For Heroes’ to provide rehabilitative and respite care places for injured military personnel that come from the south Hampshire area (Princess of Wales Royal Regiment especially). Is Rookwood School in Boyatt Wood still standing empty? If it is then how difficult would it be to convert? Again there’s no financial return but do we not owe more than gratitude to those injured and maimed in the defence of our country?

4. Improve and increase the number of public cricket, football, and rugby etc pitches together with the associated facilities across the Borough. Again, no financial return but we may have the next Flintoff, Le Tissier or Wilkinson emerge from the area.

5. Reopen Fleming Park Golf Course and rebuild the Clubhouse where it should have been all along – on the site of, or very near to, the location of old one. The golf course, which was part of the LPGA Tour in the 80’s, withered and died due to the stupid decision to move the Clubhouse to the back of the Leisure Centre and the general poor maintenance of the course.

How many people are there of Tom Watson’s age and older who would love to be part of the friendly and open community that was Fleming Park Golf Club? Let’s face it – if ‘The Point’ can be subsidised to the tune of several £millions then why not another leisure facility?

If Eastleigh Borough Council insist on spending vast sums of money on private commercial ventures then how about some that would actually benefit the wider community, such as:

1. The compulsory purchasing of every vacant shop unit in High Street and Market Street in Eastleigh Town Centre? Each unit could then be renovated to a basic marketable standard and offered to small businesses at a reduced rental cost – say 12 months fixed contract for 10 months rent. This would encourage small retail businesses back into the dying Town Centre. It would also place the Council in a stronger position to negotiate with any future developer considering a full-scale redevelopment of the main retail area.

2. Compulsory purchase every long-term vacant dwelling in the Borough with a view to providing more housing stock on existing sites. This could be done in partnership with many of the regional Housing Associations and in doing so reduce the need to build on ever decreasing green and brown field sites. Surely the rental income would be greater than a 200-bed hotel?

3. Work in partnership with the National Rivers Authority, British Waterways and specialist micro hydroelectric generating companies to provide localised micro turbines in the Hamble and Itchen Rivers – both of which are in the borough. The Council can then ‘sell’ the energy generated back to whatever national energy provider it wishes or use it to power its own facilities or local homes.

4. Work with energy providers and wind turbine manufacturers with a view to building ‘wind farms’ on the high ground around the Borough – at places like Telegraph Hill, Broom Hill, Chestnut Park, Stoke Wood, Deer Park Farm – The power generated can then be used in the same way as the hydroelectric option.

5. Work with a national rail or haulage company – such as Stobart Rail – and regenerate the rail sidings and goods yards that border the Chickenhall Lane Industrial Estates. Stobart Rail are in the process of moving most of their road freight over to rail so a railway town such as Eastleigh would be a pivotal hub in a nationwide network. The potential reduction in truck movements along the main arterial routes throughout the Borough are staggering! This in turn cuts the ‘carbon footprint’ and ‘greenhouse gas’ omissions making life greener all round.

6. A new transport hub would also need a new road – Hello again to the Chickenhall Link Road! The new link road would also open up vast tracts of land for commercial development thereby creating a new major employment zone close to the Boroughs’ main road and rail infrastructure. A development of this scale would probably generate considerably more than the 200 jobs quoted for the ‘Rosebowl’

7. Once a new link road and employment zone are in place the Council could then consider the redevelopment of older industrial estates and warehouses such as those on Dutton Lane. These type of ‘brown field’ sites are ideal for new housing developments – as proven by the former Pirelli site in central Eastleigh

8. Finish of the ‘Colonnades’ covering the west side of High Street and east side of Market Street in the town centre - the area has look half finished for years. Or improve the pedestrian areas in the Hedge End village shopping area?

9. Slash parking charges in the Town centre for a year to encourage more ‘footfall’. Simply basing the current parking charges at a comparable level to those of neighbouring Local Authorities is pointless, as it does not take into account the poor state of the borough’s shopping areas or consider the number of empty retail units. Who wants to visit an expensive empty shopping area?

Just a few ideas – I’m sure some thought has been given to at least a few of them, but surely all are of greater significance and benefit than the big white elephant that is the proposed Rosebowl development?

Gosh, all that for only £32 million?

freefinker wrote:
Gosh, all that for only £32 million?

£32million would pay for a fair proportion of it!