Councillor Jack Richardson, leader of the council and its Conservative group, said: "As I said on Wednesday, I would hope that we could liaise with either Furness College for provision of hockey facilities or even, bearing in mind one of the specialisms of the academy is going to be sport, that the academy might well be in a position to provide facilities."
Asked if he thought the plans should go ahead, he said: "I think so. I don't think there's much alternative at the present time. We've got to try to work around this and ensure that, in fact, in the longer term, there are facilities for playing hockey."
Independent Councillor Mike Stephenson has called for a rethink.
He said: "I don't think they've consulted widely enough and I think we need to go back to the drawing board."
But Cllr Richardson said: "You can rethink and rethink and rethink but at the end of the day, if you keep doing nothing but rethink, nothing ever progresses."
Asked if the council had consulted on the plans, Cllr Richardson said: "As far as I'm aware, yes, but clearly there have been criticisms. Whether that's justified at this point, I can't really say."
The committee's chairman, Conservative Councillor Ray Guselli, said he would like the council to do all it can to try to find a suitable facility that would accommodate the needs of people wanting to play competitive hockey.
"But the offer on the table before us, which will enable us to provide a facility to accommodate the fastest developing sport in Europe, turn a financial liability into a profit and create 23 local jobs, is overwhelming," he said.
So in essence the Borough council in a town of 70,000 people are removing the only all weather full size football pitch in the town which is underused to replace it with a group of all weather five a side sized pitches in the HOPES that it will encourage people of all ages to take part in sport!The fact that the full size all weather pitch is underused should have been a massive clue that a significant majority of townsfolk are not interested in knocking a ball around!
Anyway the County Council believes we have an ageing population which is why we need to reduce the number of school places. Perhaps a dozen bowling greens would be better supported if the ageing argument is actually true!
Still as Our Jack and U turn state the Academy, that doesn't yet exist, will bail them out by providing Hockey facilities as part of their 'sports specialism'!
What do these two Conservative borough dinosaurs know that we the public don't?
Quite a lot actually as I hope to be revealing over the next week or so. Turns out they know all sorts of things they are not telling you and I.
Why don't they just ask the sports bodies in the town what they want to see to ensure the future of the different clubs?
Too easy and they would give the wrong answers in my opinion but if Our Jack or U Turn would care to comment in public then it's blog@furnessacademy.com.
these councillors are running our town and playing with our money as though it is water.
If a full size pitch is underused find out why,
is it over priced?
is it available when people want it?
are clubs using it? what other `clubs` could use it?
There are so many issue before you close it and to look for fasilities some where else.
This is why Barrow has limited sports facilities and where is this hockey pitch at, in the ` make belief Academy' The Thorncliff site and exellent outdoor pitches which I am sure are suitable for more than just tennis. The Parkview site has excellent fields and many halls
I find it amazing what this All Dancing, All Singing, State of the Art, ( which is going to be in the existing buildings for the next few years, but that does not count!!) is going to bring Barrow right into the 22nd century before anyone else. Our Expectation of Douglas Blackledge are getting higher, his magical touch is much awaited.
Or can councillors just tell the truth that they wish to close the pitch as it is costing to much to run. Sod the Hockey and any other sport which costs Barrow Council to maintain
I have to say I think that CCC consulted widely enough, it is just unfortunate that they then decided to ignore the result of that consultation.
The CCC claimed to have sent out around 12,000 consultation documents yet didn't send one directly to many infant and nursery school parents who probably stood to gain/lose the most if the academy goes ahead. This,in my mind,wasn't good enough.
However I must add that the prefered option in the original consultation was for 2 seperate schools on the 2 sites and the county council went for the second choice of 1 academy at Parkview. This was subsequently changed to 1 school 'split' between 2 sites as opposed to the preferred 2 schools on 2 sites.
Confused? I think we all are. Bottom line is we may get a diluted academy which has been badly planned and implemented from day one.