Cllr. Geoffrey Theobald, Conservative group leader on Brighton & Hove City Council, is disappointed at the continued lack of progress over the development of a new leisure centre at the King Alfred site in Hove.
At Thursday’s (June 12) Policy & Resources Committee meeting, Cllr. Theobald asked the Leader of the Council, Cllr Jason Kitcat, why, almost a year since the decision to go ahead with a redevelopment of the site was made, no progress has been made in choosing a developer.
Cllr. Kitcat was only able to give a vague commitment about hoping to start the tendering process to choose a developer “later in the Summer”.
Cllr. Theobald said: “I pressed Cllr. Kitcat to give a precise timescale for when a developer is to be appointed but he just fudged it. I simply cannot understand what the hold up is as we have numerous potential developers, with well worked up plans, keen to get cracking. I’m afraid that this just adds to the unfortunate reputation that the city already has of not being business-friendly.”
Central Hove ward councillor, Andrew Wealls, sits on the Council’s King Alfred Project Board.
He added: “This is incredibly frustrating for the residents in my ward, and across the city, who so desperately want a decent new leisure centre to go to. The Project Board has not met for months now and my efforts to get updates and to push things along are just ignored. This is also a prime brownfield site that could deliver some desperately needed new homes for local people, in addition to the leisure centre. There really is no excuse for further delay.”
Development of the King Alfred site has been dogged by controvesy since a decision was made to re-develope the site by the former Labour administration that lost power in 2007. Proposals for a controversial landmark building by the internationally renowned architecht Frank Gehry which included a sports centre and swimming pool received planning permission in late 2006 but was derailed during the Conservative administration elected in 2007.
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