Town councillor urges community access to sports centre to remain following proposed Ormiston Sudbury Academy rebuild

Maintaining a publicly-available sports facility at Sudbury’s main secondary school is vital for the community’s wellbeing, according to a councillor.

A public consultation is taking place on major redevelopment plans at Ormiston Sudbury Academy (OSA), ahead of a formal planning application being submitted.

It is proposed that the existing school buildings are demolished, and replaced with a single, larger building, alongside a new sports block to replace the current facility.

For many years, Sudbury Sports Centre has been available for community use outside of school hours, with numerous clubs and groups hiring the venue for their activities.

Following a recent consultation event at the school, Sudbury town councillor Adrian Stohr praised the redesign proposals, stating they would give pupils a 21st century environment to learn in.

But he voiced concerns about whether the new sports block would remain open to the public, due to suggestions that it may not be viewed as financially viable to do so.

“I understand that opening to the public may no longer be considered economic when the site reopens,” said Cllr Stohr, whose three children all attended OSA.

“If this is the case, I will be totally gutted.

“This would be a huge loss to the community when we all know how vital those facilities are for physical and mental health and wellbeing.

“Our community should have more sports facilities, not less. The old sports centre has been so important to local people.

“I will be talking to the school’s management to establish exactly what the position is, and will campaign hard to keep the sports hall open, if need be.

“It’s such a shame, because everything else about the new design seems to be so good.

“The environmentally-friendly design will slash costs and carbon emissions – it means the school can almost live off-grid. It’s a win-win, and I love it.

“It’s also going to be a lovely place for children to work and play, with great landscaping and a really thoughtful layout and facilities.

“I’m very keen to know the views of other parents, teachers and local stakeholders.

“The views of the local community are key – that’s what this consultation is all about.”

In response, a spokesman for Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT), the organisation which manages OSA, confirmed that it intends for the sports centre to be available for community use.

“The consultation is still ongoing so the final plans are yet to be decided,” they said.

“The intention is that the new sports centre will be open to the community outside of school hours, and will be open to organised, regular sports clubs.

“The details are still being decided, with the community invited to share feedback on plans, as needed.”

To view the proposals in further detail, go to www.ormistonsudburyacademy.com.

Access to Sudbury Sports Centre became a hot topic in 2021, when OAT announced its intention to shut the site to the public, due to uncertainty around the school’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

This was met with significant opposition, and prompted the formation of the Save Our Sudbury Sports Centre campaign, to lobby for its continued availability to the community.

As a result, OAT rolled back on this plan, and agreed to keep the centre open to the public, initially on a six-month interim arrangement.

Subsequently, in 2022, the academy trust reached a long-term agreement with provider Edu-Lettings, to maintain community access to the facility.