A DERELICT former school sports ground in a village near Burton should be brought back into public use, a community stalwart has claimed.
Rolleston resident and former East Staffordshire Borough Council member Frank Bather is calling on Burton and South Derbyshire College to give back the remaining undeveloped portion of land it owns in the village for leisure use.
The site, in Station Road, was given to the then Burton Technical College by Staffordshire County Council when Forest of Needwood School closed in March 1985, and its swimming pool, sports pitches and tennis courts continued to be used by the community.
The college subsequently closed its Rolleston Campus and sold off the larger portion of the site for housing, with the remaining land, believed to amount to around 10 acres, fenced off and closed to public use.
Mr Bather said the college should return the land to the people, leaving a lasting sporting legacy for the village and surrounding areas in the run-up to next year’s London Olympics.
He told the Mail: “This was a fantastic facility, with playing fields, football, rugby and hockey pitches, tennis courts, a cricket square, grass running track and a fantastic swimming pool where lots of children learned to swim.
“People used to come from all around to enjoy the facilities, not just from Rolleston but from Tutbury, Stretton and parts of Horninglow.
“I really believe there is a strong demand for these kinds of facilities in the village and while we won’t get the swimming pool back we could have things such as the sports fields and running track, and there are grants available which could help fund it.
“It’s a fantastic site, as flat as a pancake, and it never floods, but at the moment it’s all fenced off so no-one can use it.
“I understand the college wants to get best value for the land but that shouldn’t just be best financial value. The real best value for the site would be for it to be a sports ground again.
“The college got the land for free and they should give it back to the community, rather than selling it for more housing, because at the moment they’ve shut the door on anyone that wants to use it.”
When contacted by the Mail, Burton and South Derbyshire College refused to confirm how much land it still owns in Rolleston and declined to comment on its plans for the site.
