CALA plans could close famous swimming club
CLOSURE of the Allander Leisure centre ahead of a replacement being built will sound the "death-knell" for a prestigious local swimming club.
This year should be a special one for Milngavie and Bearsden Swimming Club — as it celebrates its 40th anniversary — but instead there is a cloud of doubt hanging over the very future of the club which spawned Alison Sheppard MBE due to proposals for the Allander's demolition.
As the Herald exclusively revealed recently, developers have been given the green light for their proposals to demolish the Allander as part of plans to build, among other things, 550 new homes at Kilmardinny.
CALA and Stewart Milne have pledged a 10million donation toward the rebuilding of a new sports centre close to the main road at the site of the former Burnbrae Bus Garage.
However, there are fears that in the current financial climate, a replacement sports centre might never materialise as the actual replacement cost has been estimated at 17million.
Club president Russell Lang this week told the Herald: "If the Allander closes it will be the end for us. We train there seven days a week and are already feeling the loss of the pools at the former St Andrew's College and now of the Douglas Academy pool.
"Aside from boasting swimmers like Alison, we have some great talent in the club at the moment like our double national champion Andrew Arthur. We have three competitive squads and one fitness and as a club we are performing as well as we ever have done.
"With the Commonwealth Games so close it seems madness that we could find ourselves in the position of having no sports centre.
"We have now formed a sub-committee to lobby councillors and politicians to do all in their power to ensure Bearsden and Milngavie are not left without a sports centre for any length of time."
MSPs Des McNulty and Gil Paterson have written to East Dunbartonshire Council stressing the point that since the authority owns the sports centre, its access road and 12 acres of the land, it can stop the developers' proposals in their tracks by not selling the land.
And this week MP Jo Swinson also wrote expressing condemnation of plans to close the Allander before its replacement opens and argues that a long period without a centre would be damaging to the health and wellbeing of the local community and threaten the future of clubs like the swimming club.
The MP told the Herald: "Reaction to the developers proposals has been almost unanimous opposition and the issue of Allander Leisure is one that people feel particularly strongly about."
Many sports clubs use the Allander including football, bowling, gymnastic and dancing and other than the swimmers the group most likely to find it difficult to find a new home is the indoor bowling club.
In relation to the proposed relocation of West Rugby Club to Auchenhowie Road, Sportscotland say the new pitches must be ready before any development is begun at the present pitches on Glasgow Road.
A spokesman said: "The watchdog's remit, however, does not extend to indoor sporting facilities."
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Weather for Milngavie
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 11 C to 17 C
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