The Gateway Scheme You may not be familiar with the name but The Gateway Scheme is the overall title for a £40million plus scheme to redevelop sports facilities in Harlow. There has been a lot of coverage in the press of the replacement of the Sportcentre and the swimming pool by a new and much improved facility to be built on the Harlow College site. This is however only part of a much wider scheme, which will update and improve sports facilities across the town. From our point of view the scheme it includes a large sum, up to £1million, to enhance rugby facilities in the town.

How is the scheme funded? The Government is willing to put £11million into the scheme and the rest comes mainly from development of the Sportcentre and Swimming Pool sites for housing. But the Government money is conditional on the whole scheme going ahead. If not the Government money will go to another town and Harlow will be the loser.

The Importance to Harlow.  In the sixties Harlow had the best facilities in the country for a town of it size. These were enjoyed by the whole town, both the mass of recreational players and a significant number of elite payers. Now however those facilities are run down and past their sell by date. To make matters worse, almost all sports have evolved and even the 1960s facilities would not be suitable for the players of today. This is our one big chance to bring Harlow back to being a centre of excellence for sport; to give our existing players and the next generation the facilities they deserve.

Why the scheme may fail. There is a small but very vocal minority in the town who oppose the development. They are HOOP (hands off our park) the Civic Society and some politicians, mainly from the extreme left. They will oppose the planning approval for the scheme just as they sunk our own planning application for Ram Gorse. The opposition is not that large but it is very vocal and the councillors who will have to make the planning decisions could easily be swayed by the noise they make. Maybe being fooled into thinking they speak for the majority.

What can we do. There is a public meeting this Wednesday at 7.30 pm at Harlow Sportcentre to sound out public opinion on the scheme before it goes to the planning committee on the 4^th February. Whatever you were going to do this coming Wednesday evening cancel it and go to the Sportcentre. Don’t just listen, put up you hand and speak. Don’t just speak for Rugby, speak for the needs of all sport in Harlow and its benefit for us, our children and our grandchildren. Remember if we are silent it will allow the anti sport lobby to dominate the discussion and the councillors will think the town does not want a £40million update for sport.

More information and briefing documents will follow but make plans to go to the Meeting: Harlow Sportcentre Wednesday 14^th January 7.30 pm