A ROW has broken out over the future of a Southampton leisure centre.

This week Southampton City Council announced it would be launching a consultation with users of St Mary’s Leisure Centre which is due to close at the end of December.

Since 2010, the centre has been managed by Solent University on behalf of the council, allowing residents to access a range of activities.

But due to that agreement ending, from December 23, the centre is set to close.

Now the council is asking those who use the site to express how this will affect them through a consultation which will run until January 24.

Councillor John Hannides, Cabinet Member for Finance and Capital Assets urged residents to contribute and added that a review of the site’s future is timely as the agreement is ending.

But now the leader of the opposition, Cllr Satvir Kaur has raised concerns that the council want the site to be “permanently closed and possibly sold off.”

Cllr Kaur told the Echo: “When Labour were in power we made special efforts to keep this important community facility open.

“It’s disappointing the council have chosen to have such a short consultation over a busy period, but I would encourage people affected to have their say.”

Bevois ward cllr, Jacqui Rayment added that she is now “worried” that people without transport will be affected as they will not be able to access other facilities..

“While I appreciate that Solent will replace some of the activities they will only be able to meet a limited need that fits in with the university usage.”

Daily Echo:

Users of the centre are being signposted to the university’s new Solent Sports Complex as well as other venues across the city.

Despite concerns by the opposition though, Cllr Hannides added that the condition of the St Mary’s site has “deteriorated” during the past 10 years to the point where now there are “structural issues.”

“The consultation period is sufficiently long. Labour were running the council for nine years over that period and made no significant investment in the property to ensure that it didn’t have the structural issues.

“Had Labour invested then perhaps we would have been in a different situation but we can’t ignore the serious structural condition of the property.”

It is also said that some areas of the leisure centre are listed and would therefore be protected from changes.

But another Bevois Cllr, Toqeer Kataria, added: “Many community groups are concerned by this closure, as other facilities for a variety of reasons, are just not an option for them.

“This is a beautiful historic building that is an ideal location for a multi-purpose community hub, we don’t want it just torn down for yet more unaffordable housing.”