Hawker Centre, Kingston, users set up friends group "just in case" (From Your Local Guardian)

Hawker Centre, Kingston, users set up friends group "just in case"

8:10am Tuesday 9th February 2010

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A new Friends of the Hawker Centre group is being set up to give users a louder voice following fears about the impact of the new secondary school planned for the North Kingston Centre site.

In January, Kingston Council dropped the option of building a sixth form on the Hawker Centre site, although that could be revived if the North Kingston Centre site proved too small.

However, it is likely any school would need to use sports facilities at the centre.

Residents’ associations, local police and football, tennis and running clubs attended a meeting on Thursday, February 4, to discuss the future of the sports centre.

The group told councillors they had concerns about access to the centre, the need for Criminal Records Bureau checks and the loss of community spirit.

The centre, which attracts about 25,000 users a month, is run by the YMCA, whose lease expires in 2012, but the organisation hopes to agree a new 20-year deal.

Paul Garett, manager of Walsingham FC, which is based at the centre, said: “If you lose facilities like this would you have 50 kids running around Ham or bashing up people? We don’t know.

“Everyone knows one another. That is lacking in this country. If this was a school they would have to have restrictions. You could not have just anyone coming in.”

The new group will hold its first meeting on February 16, ahead of the February 26 deadline for responses to the council’s consultation its plans for the new school.

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