We should get some facts straight about Basildon’s sporting village, supported by Vin Harrop (Sept 2).

Residents of Vange, who I speak to are not opposed to the sporting village, but they are strongly opposed to children’s playing areas and recreation green sites, such as Kent View recreation ground, being sold for housing development in order to fund it.

Green sites such as Kent View are for children, teenagers and older residents to enjoy leisure activities.

The sporting village will mainly be for budding sportsmen and woman.

These two facilities are totally different, therefore for councillors to say the development of children’s play areas and residents recreation grounds will be replaced by a more beneficial sporting village is totally wrong.

Recreation grounds are needed as well. It’s a basic right of childhood to be able to run and play freely.

Children need to interact with nature and with other children. Older residents need local green sites as well. We have too few green spaces within my area and the loss of these will be detrimental to the health and well being of children and all residents.

The councillors who support the sale of these areas in order to fund the sporting village should be ashamed of themselves.

We deserve the sporting village, but not at the cost of children’s fun and their green play areas or the fact that older residents just want to take a walk in a local green area.

Phil Jacobs
Grapnells
Vange

...Vin Harrop (Sept 2) sadly lacks any sense of fair play and sportsmanship.

This man’s hypocrisy is without bounds, residing in Billericay that contributed virtually nothing to the sporting village folly and was therefore not forced to sacrifice parks and fields in his area.

It would be interesting to know if Mr Harrop would be so supportive if the sporting village project had been built in Lake Meadows.

I take offence at his inferring objectors are “backwards with no appreciation of sport”. Having been involved with sport all my life, at 76 I still train six days a week, which enables me to continue with outdoor pursuits.

He may applaud a council administration that made such a faux pas regarding the sporting village funding and employed dubious tactics to gratify their delusions of grandeur, however, I cannot.

Dennis Swaysland
Beauchamps Drive
Wickford