7:00pm Wednesday 25th November 2009
By Louise Dunderdale
A NEW Sure Start children’s centre and community centre is set to be built in Wimborne, and should be open by next summer.
At an extraordinary meeting of the town council, a series of steps was agreed so the scheme for Leigh Park can go ahead.
The original idea suggested by the county council was for a wooden structure with pre-assembled parts, but town coun-cillors felt this was not suitable.
The Leigh Park facility will be of brick, made by local contractors.
Its final design will be approved by district councillors on the planning committee early next year.
The town council has taken out a loan and the district council will meet the loan charges for the scheme.
Cllr Leslie Harvey, chairman of the recreation and leisure com-mittee, said they had to wait to ensure the district council backed the loan before they could start.
“People have said we have dragged our heels and slowed the whole process up but we have done it exactly by the book,” he said.
“We can’t commit anything until we know the money is coming in.
“The money is secure, it’s not going to put our taxpayers at any risk.”
Town mayor John Burden, who is also chairman of Leigh Park Residents Association, made a short statement to the town cou-ncil then left before any further discussion or voting took part.
Speaking afterwards he said: “With a brick-built building, it’s something the town council is going to be proud of, the residents are going to be proud of and I’m going to be proud of. It’s going to be there for years.”
Nathalie Sherring, the Wimborne and Corfe Mullen Sure Start children’s centre manager, said: “It’s going to be a very good facility for the whole community.”
Sure Start already has a base within the Wimborne Community Learning and Resource Centre. When built, Leigh Park will become their main base with outreach services in the town centre.
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