Training Centre

[wasps]

I'll be honest, this is sad reading for me.

It may be that these guys are trolls and just out to add more pressure to wasps.
However they sound like locals with a genuine grievance about the state of their community centre/gym.... And that's a shame.


Obviously, it's business and it's the people that often suffer when businesses make their decisions.

However, if it really did go down the way that Wussfan suggests (i.e. Wasps buy, then it gets closed) then I can absolutely see why residents would be upset.

Maybe there are mitigating factors and maybe it would have turned into housing or some other development.
But the fact remains that the residents will only see that there was a centre for community use, then it was bought by wasps, and now there isn't one.



As a wasps fan, I genuinely believe that the owners and management do consider local communities in the decisions they make - even if it may be to assist their own long game.
If this really is the end of a centre used by the local community, and if it is wasps fault, then it truly is a shame and I have sympathy with those residents affected by it

[Brandnewtorugby]

Once the team move in I suspect and hope many locals will be pleasantly surprised.

It is Wasps right to seek permission to modify the buildings and it is the local residents and affected people's right to raise concerns about a planning application. Fortunately for Wasps, the planning process removes conjecture, hence why people with an axe to grind turn to social media.

We seem to hear a lot of conjecture from people speaking on behalf of affected people, but not so much from people actually affected, like users of the facility. I think that's what raises suspicion of alteria motives along with the similar language used on sites openly hostile to Wasps.

Where were these community sports alturists for the three years it was run as a community sports facility.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

I'll be honest, this is sad reading for me.

It may be that these guys are trolls and just out to add more pressure to wasps.
However they sound like locals with a genuine grievance about the state of their community centre/gym.... And that's a shame.


Obviously, it's business and it's the people that often suffer when businesses make their decisions.

However, if it really did go down the way that Wussfan suggests (i.e. Wasps buy, then it gets closed) then I can absolutely see why residents would be upset.

Maybe there are mitigating factors and maybe it would have turned into housing or some other development.
But the fact remains that the residents will only see that there was a centre for community use, then it was bought by wasps, and now there isn't one.

As a wasps fan, I genuinely believe that the owners and management do consider local communities in the decisions they make - even if it may be to assist their own long game.
If this really is the end of a centre used by the local community, and if it is wasps fault, then it truly is a shame and I have sympathy with those residents affected by it

I too think it is always sad when any local amenity is lost. I hope that Derek and Stephen do read this thread. It is far more balanced than the Facebook 'discussions' (shouting matches).

The "I'm right", "No, I'm right"  argument serves no purpose. Of course some of the locals feel aggrieved. They feel they have been misled and robbed. But, Wasps are not the only guilty party here. The County Council are very much at the heart of this, along with the local council. Lack of available funding has also played its role. You can't (as Henley has done almost forever) vote for a Central Government that wants to cut taxes, and thus funding to local authorities, and not expect consequences of that reduced funding.

Having said that, I really would love to see Wasps develop this resource not only in to a better facility, but also a better community facility. It would be great to see Wasps get a management company in, like Everyone Active (who, despite what I see in some centres as using poor employment practices, are good at what they do), to work a deal with the local council, the school and local sporting and community organisations to make the whole site (on either side of the road) work to everyone's benefit.

[Rossm]

2 new posters who have only posted in this thread?
You can smell it a mile off.

You must register on this forum if you wish to post here.

[WussFan]

The answer to where were these people is simple...they were using the facility and as is documented on here the person leading is coach at a kids footy team.

Personally I’d be surprised if Wasps behaviour changes if they are successful with their planning application. This far they’ve had to be dragged into providing minimal access from a start point of no access at all. Please read the Sport England response to the original planning application. It’s not like Wasps approached this with the intent to provide community facilities - it was approached with the express intent of developing the site as a private facility. None of that is conjecture, it’s all public domain.

It’s a shame. This could have been handled differently. Perhaps some of you ought to seek views from your club.

[Laterontoday]

Wasps are a cuckoo club I’m afraid.

The truth is out.  That is a term only die hard CCFC and some Cov Rugby associates use towards Wasps.  My near neighbour being one which is where I heard the term first.

[DGP Wasp]

Opinions from locals were invited earlier in this thread, and Jose and WussFan have obliged.   They must have known their view wouldn't reflect the prevalent view on here, yet they have come on here and offered that alternative point of view, something that we should welcome for as long as they remain as civil as they have up to now.  It does us all good to hear opposing views to our own on any subject.  It may not sway us from our established point of view, but at least it allows us to arrive at a more informed opinion.

Personally I would prefer to see a training ground located nearer to the heart of the community that Wasps have spent the past 6 years working so hard to win over, but Wasps have already gone up a couple of dead ends in that pursuit.

[bigad82]

2 new posters who have only posted in this thread?
You can smell it a mile off.

You must register on this forum if you wish to post here.

And that doesn't make you wonder why he went to the trouble without having a set agenda to start with?

[WussFan]

Laterontoday I’m afraid you are wrong.

I’m happy for VV to message me privately and I’ll confirm my identity. He’ll be free to look through my FB profile and confirm that I’m a long standing Worcester fan. Two of my kids attend/ed Henley High and my eldest played at OLs. So nice try at a smear.

It’s not just CCFC fans that have a negative view of Wasps, sadly.

[WussFan]

I went to the trouble bigad because much of what was posted on here is untrue and some of you asked for the perspective from the locals.

Who some of you, which includes you, have then smeared and denigrated.

[hookender]

Thought I would as someone said try and find some actual facts. Very hard to find them ,though I will as wussfan suggested try and find sportengland report.

A couple of things I did come across- a short note from a planning officer to the joint parish council in November 2019 confirming he spoken to wasps about the covenant of 2007 regarding community use of site .from this it didn’t seem to imply that substantial community must be given only some and it could be alternative to what is already there. Also I read somewhere that the use of indoor facilities was not required as part of it.

The other piece I came across was in the neighbourhood development plan was planning for 61 houses on the Warwickshirecollege Stratford rd site .Is this the same place?

[bigad82]

I went to the trouble bigad because much of what was posted on here is untrue and some of you asked for the perspective from the locals.

Who some of you, which includes you, have then smeared and denigrated.

Fair point but when you say things like Wasps have been dishonest in your first post instead of engaging in a sensible debate posters have every right to wonder what your motives are.

[WussFan]

But they were dishonest, that’s on record.

When the initial PR was issued by Wasps it was factually misleading about the actual current use of the site. Again it’s in the public domain.

My motivation is purely to provide an alternative view. And I’m not pretending I’m not keen on Wasps - because I’m not. The behaviour of the club in its move to the Midlands and thereafter in my view has been pretty poor.

[Wiltshire Wasp]

I think his point was set out clearly early on in his posts which I also think were worded in a non confrontational manner.  It is good to read a mostly reasoned exchange of views and information. Surprised me that it has stayed that way.

[bigad82]

But they were dishonest, that’s on record.

When the initial PR was issued by Wasps it was factually misleading about the actual current use of the site. Again it’s in the public domain.

My motivation is purely to provide an alternative view. And I’m not pretending I’m not keen on Wasps - because I’m not. The behaviour of the club in its move to the Midlands and thereafter in my view has been pretty poor.

It was WCG who told Wasps what it's current use was.