Calling All Councillors
On the 4th November 2020 we sent the following email to all 57 Chelmsford City Councillors and 12 Great Baddow Parish Councillors :
Dear Councillor
Re: HAMPTONS SPORTS & LEISURE CENTRE, CHELMSFORD CM2
We write to all Councillors of Chelmsford City Council and Great Baddow Parish Council with regards to the above business and property.
Hamptons Sports & Leisure Centre, formerly the Marconi Club, has existed within the Chelmsford area since 1910 where it was the social club for the employees of the Marconi Wireless and Telegraph Company. We are sure that the history of the Marconi company within Chelmsford needs no introduction to any Councillor. It moved to its current location off Beehive Lane in 1964 and was redeveloped in 2012 as part of a residential development. In 2017 it was sold by BAE and became Hamptons Sports & Leisure Centre and continued to serve the needs of the whole community.
In February 2020 it was sold to the Chelmsford Muslim Society, who initially presented plans to their donors to use the building as a “Mosque for the Essex area”, that can “easily accommodate 1000 worshippers”, with little or no mention of continuation of the facilities and community services it has provided for decades. Only in recent months, in the face of scrutiny of their proposals from both the public and the Planning Department, have their plans now changed significantly to continuing principally as a Sports & Leisure Centre for the whole community.
The Planning Department have now ruled that a Change Of Use planning application will be required, however are allowing the current breach of planning control to continue until such time an application has been submitted and considered by the Council.
The Save The Hamptons Team formed in January 2020 to voice the concerns of local residents and club users regarding the future of the Hamptons Sports and Leisure.
Our campaign is focused on retaining the vital community use of the building, in an area of Chelmsford where there is no alternative facility. We have no issue with the right to worship or Islam in general. We feel that the legitimate concerns of the community should not be just disregarded on presumption or pre-determination of what the motives may be without fully understanding the nature of concerns, which have no motivation on religious or racial grounds. Our mission is to inform, encourage consultation, engagement and public discussion of the plans of the Chelmsford Muslim Society.
Whilst we acknowledge that some councillors within the Great Baddow wards have already been involved in discussions regarding Hamptons, we feel that this is a significant issue for the City of Chelmsford and as such should be brought to the attention of all City and Great Baddow Parish Councillors.
We would encourage all Councillors to watch the following video which details the key concerns that the community has, and a history of this issue to date. Further information is available on the website below.
Kind Regards
The Save The Hamptons Team
www.savethehamptons.co.uk
We will of course publish any responses (if we get any) next week.