HUNDREDS of Aston residents took to Victoria Square and the
council house to protest against the demolition of a local sports centre.
Aston Arena is earmarked for closure and then demolition as
a part of Birmingham City Council’s 15 year Area Action Plan. The council then
plan to turn the Serpentine site, where the Arena sits, into a business park.
Despite claims of a 20,000 consultation, local residents are
angry about the further depletion of sports services in the area.
Joining the protest was West Midlands MEP Nikki Sinclaire
who is calling for greater sporting provision in the poorest parts of the city,
not less.
Nikki Sinclaire said,
“As a politician myself, I know how important it is to
listen to my employers, that being my constituents.
You should never ignore the will of the people, and the
people of Aston and the surrounding boroughs do not want this site removed from
the local area.
We cannot let a facility like this be bulldozed into history
Why do the local council want to diminish such an important
sporting provision? For the second city, this is shameful
Where will the Olympians of the future train? Do we not want
gold medal winners in Aston?
The efforts of the local community in coming together for
this protest today are fantastic. This is what big society is all about. The
council need to listen and rethink their plans”.
The group handed a petition for the attention of the head of the council, Albert Bore.