The proposed new Leisure centre in Ely and the Paradise Centre.
The Paradise Centre is a dry side sports centre, which is run by a non-profit making trust that operates through a volunteer management committee, which directly employs a manager and staff to run the facility. The Paradise Centre building is owned by East Cambridgeshire district council, but they chose to lease the building and operation of the centre to the Paradise Centre management committee until the 27th March 2085. The management committee have recently paid a solicitor to review the lease. The conclusion has been that the Paradise Centre, its members and management committee will only be leaving the Paradise site if it chooses to do so because the terms and conditions offered for moving, are voted for by the majority of members.
Although the papers regularly report that the Paradise Centre is heavily subsidised by East Cambridgeshire District Council, this is not the case. The centre receives a small grant of around £3000 to help run childrens activities and the GP referral scheme.
Representatives of the Paradise Centre have had two meetings with ECDC to discuss the proposed new leisure village. At neither meeting would ECDC commit to who they expected to be running/operating the new facility.
The Paradise Centre lease also covers the Paradise field, which makes it essentially a private field used by the public as though it is a public field, although it is not. The footpath across the field from Deacons lane to the Paradise car park is indeed a public footpath and therefore cannot be closed. The Paradise Centre management committee are very keen to see the Paradise field remain a sports field for the duration of the lease.
The Paradise Centre recognised 9 years ago that the centre was no longer big enough to cater for the growing population of Ely and surrounding area, and began asking for help with expansion via section 106 money. The Centre was continually told that the leisure facilities in Ely were adequate and expansion would not be supported. As a result the centre began saving money with a view to funding it’s own expansion in the future when enough money has been saved.
The Paradise Centre management committee:
Chairman: John Blunt
Manager Jeremy Wakefield
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