Campaigners celebrate as plans to close Stubbington Study Centre rejected
The outdoor activity centre near Fareham had been under threat of being turned into a secure children's home
There has been a huge victory for Hampshire residents who have been fighting tooth and nail to keep their beloved outdoor activity centre open.
Hampshire County Council has decided to keep Stubbington Study Centre open having previously tabled the idea to shut it down to open a secure children’s home instead.
After three months of fighting, a big applause of victory was heard at the Ashburton Hall, where Hampshire County Council made the shock decision to go against its officers and instead follow residents’ wishes.
For decades, residents have been using the study centre to learn about wildlife, friendship and even about themselves, as a young student told the decision-making cabinet meeting on Tuesday (March 18th).
More than 13,500 people signed the council’s petition to keep the centre open, but many more signed an independent petition, sent letters to the council, and created a website to oppose the proposal.
On a remarkable day, many residents came to the county council offices in Winchester to remind cabinet members what Stubbington means to them and witness in person the decision about the centre’s future.
Two pupils from Lee-on-the-Solent Junior School, George and Lyla, demanded the council keep the centre open. They spoke out loud and said it is a “unique” place for them to learn, be away from screens, and value wildlife.
Lyla said how much the centre had really helped her friend with additional needs.
"One of my friends has Down’s syndrome. She has been a friend since Year R. We got really excited when she decided to come along with us. With a little bit of help she was able to have a great time.
"You have the responsibility for all children in Hampshire, of which I’m just one of thousands. With the same unique experience we had. Closing the centre would deny that opportunity not just to the children in my school but across the county.”
She told the county that future generations would miss out on similar experiences, adding: “It’s not just about what we learn, it is about how we learn. Stubbington is a place where we can explore, discover and learn. It’s a place that we will always treasure, and it should be there for every child who needs it.”
Joseph Adamson, a young neighbour of Stubbington Study Centre, said that the proposal “takes Hampshire children’s future away”.
"You are choosing an uncertain replacement for a certain loss for our kids …. This issue is national, not just Hampshire. A solution can be found to house the centre and the secure home.
"Your constituents demand you to find a way to keep the study centre open. The select committee voted unanimously to recommend you to stay open. Also, Fareham Borough Council, and not less than six MPs, please be on the right side of history today.”
It was in January that the county council revealed its plans to convert Stubbington Study Centre in Gosport into a children’s home for some of the most vulnerable children in the UK.
It followed the previous Conservative-led government chose Swanick Lodge, a children’s home, to be included in the regeneration programme to update the site with £90 million funding.
The money will only get released if the council gives the green light for the transformation. As part of that, the council has looked into a list of sites that could be used to build and replace the tired building of Swanick Lodge, which is almost 30 years old and only has five more years of life left. However, the list was reduced into two sites, and Stubbington Study Centre ultimately chosen.
After the plan was revealed, Hampshire residents mobilised against it and showed the county council the union and the desire of thousands to keep the “beloved” centre open.
Cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Roz Chadd, presented a second recommendation to the cabinet to keep Stubbington Study Centre open despite being the “only viable” site in the county, requesting a six-month extension to government funding to allow more time to find a suitable place and other four recommendations.
Supporting Cllr Chadd’s recommendation, Cllr Zoe Huggins, who experienced the residential visit at Stubbington in the mid-80s, said that although both sites are valuable for the council, at this stage, she can only support keeping the site open.
“We must continue to seek alternative sites for Swanick secure unit, as it is also valuable for the opportunity of children in Hampshire.”
Leader of the council, Cllr Nick Adams-King, said that politics is about choices, which often are tricky, but a decision needs to be made by listening to what people say.
“Politics is about choices, and the choices we have to make are often tricky ones. There’s never a wrong suggestion, there’s never a wrong recommendation, and if I may say, there’s never errors of judgement. There are large choices for us to make. We need to make those choices by listening to the consultation.”
In a unanimous vote, all cabinet members voted in favour of keeping Stubbington Study Centre open.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, Cllr Adams-King said that the council will formally write to the government for the extension and will “redouble” the work to find a suitable site in Hampshire.
"We are having conversations with the Department of Education to find a way to find an alternative site for the most vulnerable children. It is absolutely essential for their well-being and for all of us as Hampshire residents.
He added that his administration made the right decision after hearing what residents said in the consultation and in all the speeches they made at the county council.
"I think we made the right decision, and I’m really happy we’ve come to what I think is the best possible place.”
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