Thumbs up for arena upgrade

This will be a major development that will have a big impact on our estate so I would urge my fellow residents to start sending their letters in as soon as the coming Christmas turkey and mince pies have been eaten.

Letters can be sent to the chief executive at the Civic Offices. Hopefully Sutton Council will also organise and advertise a public meeting at Hill House Community Centre where plans will be displayed and questions can be asked.

One of the unfortunate realities of the past 30 years has been that as solely an athletics facility, hundreds of residents of all ages living around the arena feel completely divorced from the place.

The challenge for the council and the developers is to provide both a first class athletics venue plus an amenity for the wider community that will embrace both the fit and the not so fit.

My suggestion is to include an arena social club in the redevelopment run by the arena management team and operating the same way as the ones at most football clubs etc. Membership, subject to numbers, would be open to all residents and those using the sporting facilities.

The management team could set up a social committee to organise club entertainment, parties both for children and senior citizens, outings, etc.

Not only would a social club create an essential bond between the arena and the surrounding community, it would also generate valuable income to offset the inevitable public subsidy towards future running costs.

The land we are talking about is designated for recreational use.

There is no question that having a social drink, playing cards or dominoes or throwing a dart is not as recreational as running around a track or jumping hurdles, especially for someone like me who was barely able to get off the starting line in the school sack race!

PADDY KANE

Titchfield Road

Carshalton

December 12, 2001 10:30