Hands off our green

WITH reference to the document from Arun District Council, '˜What's your pleasure?, September 2012, our impression is that the whole of the document appears to rely on the selling of Swansea Gardens, Bognor Regis, to provide the funds to improve the rest of Arun Leisure, or to '˜balance the books' at our expense due to mismanagement of finances.

As bowlers we strongly oppose the selling of Swansea Gardens bowling green, the tennis courts and parking facilities.

We suggest Arun District Council ‘invest in current facilities and upgrade by private sector contributions grant applications’.

We suggest Arun District Council stop putting profit before the rights of the more mature members of the community, many of which have poor mobility, and have the need for local and convenient sporting facilities.

The bowling clubs (Pagham Bowls Club, Telepost Bowls Club, Beavers (partially-sighted bowlers) jointly own, run and maintain the clubhouse, on site, and cater for other events involving the local community throughout the year. Over the years the clubs have invested in improvements to the clubhouse.

Waterloo Square, which Arun District Council have suggested as an alternative site for the bowling clubs, has three bowling clubs already playing there.

It would be oversubscribed, with poor parking facilities, particularly for the less mobile and older members of the community and would be completely unsuitable.