IT IS WITH GREAT SADNESS THAT THE WOODROAD REGENERATION FORUM HAS TAKEN THE DECISION TO CLOSE. THIS DECISION IS DUE WHOLLY TO THE LACK OF SUPPORT WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL WITH REGARDS TO BOTH FUNDING AND THE VISITORS CENTRE.

SOME WEEKS AGO, WE WROTE AN UPDATE IN THE PAPER AND EAST AYRSHIRE REPLIED STATING THAT THEY HAD BEEN IN CONTINUAL CONTACT WITH US. THIS WAS COMPLETELY WITHOUT FOUNDATION AND INDEED UP UNTIL TWO WEEKS AGO, WE HAD HEARD NOTHING FROM EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL AND THE ONLY REASON WE RECEIVED A LETTER WAS DEMANDING THAT WE RETRACT A STATEMENT MADE TO THE COUNCIL REGARDING THE WOODROAD PARK SWIMMING POOL, TENNIS COURTS AND OFFICERS.

IT IS THE GROUPS FIRM BELIEF THAT THE REASON THE WOODROAD REGENERATION FORUM HAS NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL IS DUE TO THE LACK OF SUPPORT FROM THE COUNCIL OFFICERS BEHIND THE WOODROAD PARK. FOR US, WE BELIEVED THAT THE COUNCILLORS RAN THE COUNCIL BUT CLEARLY THIS HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE AND WE HAVE BEEN LEFT DISILLUSIONED AND APPALLED AT THE TREATMENT WE HAVE RECEIVED. WE HAVE NEVER HAD COUNCIL OFFICIALS OR COUNCILLORS ON OUR BOARD AND WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE HAVE MADE IT ON OUR OWN WITH EXCEPTIONALLY LITTLE FUNDING FROM THE COUNCIL. OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS THE GROUP HAVE RECEIVED LESS THAN £20,000 TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT WE HAD TO PAY FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE ORIGINAL PLAY PARK AT A COST OF £13,000 AND THE COUNCIL ALLOWED THE COMPANY HAMILTON TARMAC WHO REMOVED THIS TO RETAIN THE SCRAP METAL VALUE.

THE DEATH KNELL OF THE WOODROAD PARK WAS THE CLOSURE OF THE SWIMMING POOL. A POOL WHICH WAS GOING TO COST UNDER £50K TO REPAIR. AT THE TIME THE IMPLEMENTATION OFFICER PUT THE PAPERWORK TOGETHER TO RECOMMEND THE CLOSURE OF THIS POOL. IT IS OUR BELIEF THAT THIS POOL COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED. WE INVITE THE PEOPLE TO ASK THE QUESTIONS AS TO WHY THE COUNCIL OFFICERS INVOLVED IN THE CLOSURE OF THE POOL WERE ALSO INVOLVED WITHIN THE VISIONS PROJECT AND WHY RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE TO SUPPORT THIS VISIONS POOL FINANCIALLY WHEN IT WAS STATED QUITE CATEGORICALLY THAT THE WOODROAD SWIMMING POOL WOULD COST TOO MUCH. CLEARLY FROM THE DOCUMENTATION ON OUR WEBSITE IT IS APPARENT THAT THE WOODROAD SWIMMING POOL WOULD HAVE COST A FRACTION OF THE FUNDING ALREADY RECEIVED BY VISIONS.

THE DATES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. VISIONS BUILDING PROJECT STARTED IN NOVEMBER 2003 AND COMPLETED IN OCTOBER 2004. AT A MEETING ON THE 16TH JANUARY 2004, APPROVAL WAS BEING SOUGHT TO CLOSE THE WOODROAD SWIMMING POOL. THE INFORMATION CONTAIN IN THIS MEETING HAD BEEN COMPILED IN 2003.

FURTHERMORE, AT A MEETING WITH THE COUNCIL, WE WERE INFORMED THAT DESPITE HAVING THIS IN OUR BUSINESS PLAN FROM 2007, THE COUNCIL WOULD NOT SUPPORT US IN OUR VISION TO REINSTATE THE TENNIS COURTS AS THE COUNCIL WERE SUPPORTING VISIONS PLANS FOR FEE PAYING TENNIS COURTS. THIS STATEMENT WAS MADE BY THE SAME IMPLEMENTATION OFFICER ABOVE. OUR ONE AND ONLY AIM WAS TO PROVIDE FREE FACILITIES TO THE PEOPLE OF CUMNOCK AND SURROUNDINGS SOMETHING WHICH WAS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE COUNCIL.

WE RECEIVED OUR PLANNING PERMISSION IN SEPTEMBER 2009 AND OUR LEASE IN 2010. WE IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE COUNCIL AND INFORMED THEM WE REQUIRED THE OWNERSHIP OF THE LAND TO BE TRANSFERRED BACK TO THE PEOPLE OF CUMNOCK BUT WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE PEOPLE NEVER OWNED THIS LAND AND THIS WAS COUNCIL LAND (WE HAVE ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS LAND WAS GIFTED TO THE PEOPLE OF CUMNOCK). SINCE THEN WE HAVE CONTINUALLY CHASED AND CHASED TO NO AVAIL. THE PLANNING, LEGAL FEES AND ARCHITECT FEES COSTS OVER £8,000 ALL OF THIS HAS BEEN WASTED AS THE COUNCIL HAVE STATED THAT IF THE BUILD IS NOT STARTED WITHIN THREE YEARS OF THE DATE OF PLANNING THEN WE WILL HAVE TO RESUBMIT AN APPLICATION AND THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY THAT FUNDING WILL BE IN PLACE GIVEN THE ABOVE FACTS.

WE HAVE HAD MEMBERS OF OUR GROUP SLATED, BERATED AND VERBALLY ATTACKED BECAUSE OF OUR STANCE AND BELIEFS. WE HAVE DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE THAT THERE WAS NO VIABLE REASON TO CLOSE THIS POOL. IT IS THEREFORE CLEAR THAT THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN ULTERIOR MOTIVE WITH REGARDS TO THE WOODROAD PARK AND ONE WHICH ONLY THOSE INDIVIDUALS RESPONSIBLE CAN REFUTE.

WE HAVE TAKEN THE LIBERTY OF ATTACHING JUST A FEW OF THE MANY EMAILS WHICH WERE SENT TO US BY AN EMPLOYEE OF EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL WHO HAS ASKED FOR THEIR NAME TO BE PROTECTED AND GIVEN THE FACT THAT THIS INFORMATION IS OF PUBLIC VALUE WE HAVE AGREED TO SAME. THIS INFORMATION ALONG WITH THE REMAINDER IS AVAILABLE VIA THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.

FOR OUR PART, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK COUNCILLOR ERIC ROSS FOR TAKING THIS ORIGINAL IDEA TO THE COUNCIL ON OUR BEHALF AND FOR COUNCILLOR BARNEY MENZIES WHO HAS CONTINUALLY SUPPORTED US. OTHER POLITICAL PARTIES WHO PROMISED US THE EARTH DELIVERED ABSOLUTELY NOTHING DESPITE USING OUR PROJECT IN THEIR CAMPAIGN AT THE LAST LOCAL ELECTION.

FINALLY A THANK YOU TO PROVOST STEPHANIE YOUNG WHO HAS SUPPORTED OUR GROUP AND WE WISH EVERY SUCCESS FOR THE FUTURE.

THE TRUSTEES AND VOLUNTEERS - WOODROAD REGENERATION FORUM LTD.

PROPOSALS FOR DEVELOPMENT WOODROAD PARK 2000
CABINET MEETING CLOSURE OF POOL 2004
SWIMMING POOL COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT FOR CLOSURE 2004
CABINET MEETING VISIONS MARCH 2006