Published: Wednesday, 10th June, 2009 9:23am

£7m sports arena could ease town's ills

by Jamie Borthwick

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THE case for building a sports arena for the town to be proud of is underpinned by damning statistics about the area"s health, crime rates and social problems.

The Clydebank Community Sports Trust (CCST) uses hard-hitting facts about the deprivation of the area to appeal for backing for its sports stadium masterplan.

A table of crime printed in the feasibility study shows West Dunbartonshire has rates above the national average in every category and it also highlights that less than half of the town"s population regularly exercises.

Under the 'strategic information' section of the study a quote is included from the Welcome to Clydebank website"s online forum which describes Mountblow - where the stadium will be sited - as a 'slum'.

The author of the report states: 'It has been said "Scotland is the sick man of Europe".

'If so, Clydebank has a strong claim to be the "sick man of Scotland".'

Referring to the last national census, completed in 2001, the document reports that less than half of Bankies who were surveyed admitted to regular exercise.

Providing further evidence of the town"s poorly reputation are the statistics showing more than 50 per cent of residents exceeding recommended boozing levels and almost half of the respondents living in 'regeneration' areas, such as Whitecroook and Mountblow, said they were smokers.

In another area explored in the report, under the heading Anti-Social Behaviour, the author uses Strathclyde Police statistics showing West Dunbartonshire as being above the national average in every type of crime, including recording more than twice the rate of drunkenness and almost double the rate of serious assault and the carrying of offensive weapons.

Robbery, housebreaking, fire-raising, drugs offences and vandalism are all also higher than the national average.

The feasibility study then charts the social exclusion of many of Clydebank"s residents, showing one-in-four children receive free school meals because their parents do not have enough money, 26 per cent of children"s parents are unemployed and more than one-in-five families rely solely on Government benefits to survive.

CCST claims despite all these factors, there is still a fair proportion of residents who do get out and take part in sport, and the top class facilities it plans to build will battle against the health and deprivation figures as well as tackling crime through diversionary activities.

The report concludes: 'The consensus of all experts is that, in order to change anti-social behaviour across a significant proportion of the population and positively influence the lifestyle choices of others, something needs to be done.

'To create change and bring about an improvement in health and well-being, there is an absolute requirement to gain cross-community involvement in sporting activity and exercise, and pride in the amenities available to everyone.'

Throughout the feasibility study it is stressed that a 'partnership' approach is needed to progress the plans.

It names the West Dunbartonshire Community Planning Partnership as a 'vital' potential partner as any development done without proper consultation could lead to an imbalance in facilities.

The study also highlights the sports strategy being conducted by West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) and says it hopes the community stadium proposal will be included the strategy.

A WDC spokeswoman said: 'We are committed to the upgrading/development of sports facilities within the authority and is supportive of partnership working with local sporting organisations.

'The content of the study undertaken by Clydebank Community Sports Trust has yet to be fully examined therefore it is not appropriate to comment on details at this time.'