I think the sports hub proposal is really good for Hyndburn but the loss of freely accessible public land is not good for Hyndburn. Whatever happens with this proposal we can be sure it isn't the first and won't be the last piece of land Hyndburn Borough Council will try and sell off or pass over to some other organisation to manage for them.
One question asked last night was - "What is HBC getting out of this deal?"
It was answered but some people still think HBC are making money out of the proposal. They are not, what they are doing is saving the money they previously spent on the maintenance of Highams. This could mean more maintenance will be able to be done on other areas in Hyndburn or it could mean the Council will be able to reduce their workforce as that maintenance is no longer needed.
The important information from last night was that the Trust expects to have the project plans/proposal completed by their architects within 4 to 6 weeks. It is then expected the Trust will hold a public meeting to explain the plans and answer questions.
An interesting irony in all this is that Hyndburn Borough Council protected Highams from this kind of thing by making it a Field in Trust
More info on Fields in Trust here
Highams Playing Field, Thorneyholme Road, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 6BD - Fields in Trust