OVER the last few weeks I have read with great interest the letters regarding the closure of Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre. It’s fair to say that there are a lot of angry people out there, and I can understand some of their points, but I think most people are missing the wider picture.
If these people were honest with themselves, they know that if you look at the centre it is old, out of date and in need of a major refurbishment costing a few hundred grand or into the millions.
Horsham District Council has a difficult choice, spend the money or close it down and use the money elsewhere in the district.
If the council spends the money, what happens when the other leisure centres within the district are in need of repair, what happens when the arts centre needs repair, what happens when Horsham Park needs repair? The list goes on, but the money does not, especially in the current climate.
If you close the centre, it makes financial sense. The money made from the site can be put into the district and spent on the upkeep of all the other facilities used, including the roads.
The site could be sold to make way for a retail park or something similar, something that the district needs to start bringing people into Horsham and spending money here.
I read every week that people believe Horsham is becoming a ghost town. If you bring more shops into the area, you will bring more people with them.
If though HDC does spend the money on the centre, I believe that the district will suffer as more money can be generated from shops than from a leisure centre.
NEIL BARNES
Oliver Road, Horsham
