Academy in doubt after site exclusion; Project 'has disappeared from the radar'.

Byline: Neil McKay

PLANS for a new pounds 15m sports centre for a former steel town have again been thrown into jeopardy. The exclusion of the 700-acre former steelworks site at Berry Edge, Consett, County Durham as a choice for where to build a new academy cast fresh doubts over whether the sports village will ever get built.

The previous local authority, Derwentside District Council, had planned to build an academy next to the sports village and close to Derwentside College. But Durham County Council, which took over responsibilities from Derwentside following local government re-organisation in April, stunned locals when it overlooked Berry Edge as the site for a proposed academy.

It named its two preferred choices as Belle Vue or Crookhall.

The county has already been accused of "stone walling" over plans for the sports centre, which the district had again planned for Berry Edge. The site was handed over to the district by British Steel following the closure of the massive steel works in the town in 1981.

Derwentside District Councillors agreed last year to spend pounds 15m on a "wet and dry" centre at Berry Edge. The development would have included a 25-metre swimming pool, a smaller learner pool and two sports halls. But following the takeover of the project by the County in April, it has "disappeared from the radar" according to local county councillor Owen Temple.

The Liberal Democrat said: "The county council seems just to have abandoned the idea of a site which brought the possibility of having college, school and sports facilities in one tight-knit area which would enable children to benefit from the facilities during school hours.

"It's hard to imagine on what basis anyone would want to ignore this 700-acre site. It's huge. It's valuable. It was given to the people of Derwentside when the steelworks closed and that's a legacy which we should make the most of."

He added: "I used to complain about the lack of transparency of the project - and justifiably so. Now what we've got is even worse - invisibility. The sports centre proposal has gone off the radar." A spokeswoman for Durham County Council refuted suggestions that the authority was "dragging its feet" over the proposed sports centre.

It hired an outside firm of consultants to re-examine the plans, and their report is being considered.

Cabinet member Clive Robson, who represents Consett North on the authority, said: "As the new unitary council will be ultimately be responsible for the project, it is right that we look very closely at the detail of what is involved before committing ourselves. We certainly do not accept any suggestion that we are delaying progress."It's huge. It's valuable. It was given to the people of Derwentside when the steelworks closed