THE BMX track at Apex Park must not be lost to a private firm, say town councillors, who want the land kept for public use.

Burnham & Highbridge Town councillors are opposed to a plan to hand the facility over to Bourne Leisure as it is essential to retain it for the people of Highbridge and Burnham, they said this week.

At their monthly meeting at Jaycroft Road on Monday, October 5, councillors voted to oppose the proposed 50-year lease being offered to the leisure firm by Sedgemoor District Council (SDC).

The land is to the right of the park near the entrance and is approximately slightly larger than the car park and is currently sealed off with a high fence.

SDC says it has held numerous consultation events and an online questionnaire over the plans.

But leading the charge against the move was Cllr John Parkes, from Highbridge.

He said Apex Park was the ‘jewel in the crown’ for residents and should not be allowed to be parcelled off.

“I was pretty vociferous at the last council meeting over the lack of consultation and the veiled secrecy (and I use the words quite appropriately) the veiled secrecy of Sedgemoor District Council,” he said.

“It was me who first brought it to notice as it was hidden in an agenda in an executive committee meeting several months ago.

“I am of the opinion that as a council we need to oppose any move to transfer any of the land at Apex to Bourne Leisure,” he said."

He said the plans for the BMX club to relocate was a separate issue and “a red herring” and said the land should be returned to its former state for the use of the public of the towns.

Cllr David Hoggarth questioned why the land should be developed when open spaces would become a valuable asset in the future as more homes were built and pressure would increase on the parks.

One idea put forward by Cllr Martin Cox was for the site to be used as an amphitheatre for outdoor productions for theatre companies or for concerts.

He said it was a large area and “shouldn’t be given up lightly”. He also thought that Sedgemoor should invest in state-of-the-art toilets along with a sheltered seating area for people using the café.

If the site was leased to Bourne then he felt it should be only for a short period.

Cllr Phil Harvey said: “What has been proposed by Sedgemoor is not of benefit to the people of Burnham and Highbridge. I propose that this council opposes the plan to allow Bourne Leisure to lease the land at Apex.”

Cllr Nick Tolley agreed saying he thought other groups might come forward in the future and ask to use the land for “a really good idea” but by then the site would have been lost.

A proposal was made by Cllr Harvey to oppose Sedgemoor’s plans.

The vote was not opposed but there was one abstention by Cllr Cox. The town councillors who were also Sedgemoor District Councillors or had a possible conflict of interest did not take part in the debate or vote.

A SDC spokesman said the council had undertaken a comprehensive public consultation exercise including holding three sessions at Apex Park alongside an online questionnaire.

“The matter was discussed at the Burnham on Sea and Highbridge Town Council meeting on September 14 and again on October 5,” he said.

“There have been over 170 responses received and these are being analysed, a full report is due to go to Sedgemoor District Council’s executive in November.”