NEW LEISURE facilities in Arborfield will not impact on the safety of students at Bohunt secondary school, the council has reassured parents.
The Arborfield Leisure Centre, which has been built on the site of the old Garrison gym in Sheerlands Road, features a large sports hall, climbing wall, a floodlit 3G football pitch, three floodlit tennis courts, three floodlit netball courts, and full changing facilities, separate to those used by students during the school day.
From January 1, members of the public will be able to hire out the outdoor facilities throughout the day, and the indoor facilities from May 1. The facilities available to the public during the day will be separate from those being used by the school.
The centre has been built by Wokingham Borough Council (WBC), and will be run by a leisure operator.
Concerned parents have spoken out on social media regarding the plans, claiming that the move will affect the safety of students attending the adjacent school, but a spokesperson for WBC, which runs the centre, said the agreement was no different from ‘dual-usage’ schemes that exist elsewhere in the borough.
Cllr Mark Ashwell, WBC’s executive member for children’s services, said: “We already successfully run dual-use leisure facilities at St Crispin’s and Bulmershe schools, and the plans for Bohunt School Wokingham are similar.
“The facilities used by the public during school hours will be separate to those being used by the pupils, and this includes the changing areas.”
The football pitches are available for hire from £12 per hour, with discounts available for FA Charter Standard Clubs.
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