13 January 2017

Mintlaw and Turriff to have their say on sports pitches

A public consultation will begin next week to allow the public to have their say on the kind of sports pitches they would like in Mintlaw and Turriff ahead of the resurfacing of artificial pitches in the two towns later this year.

The consultation will open on Monday, January 16 and run for two weeks.

Respondents will be asked to answer questions on which sports they play or might play in the future on the pitches and at which competitive level as well as how frequently they use them.

Council officers will be carrying out face-to-face discussions with local users and groups and the online surveys can be access through the council’s consultation database.

A public information evening for Turriff users will be held at Turriff Gateway Centre from 6.30-8pm on Wednesday, January 25 for members of the community and local groups to discuss the potential changes and gather feedback on the survey.

Paper copies of the survey will be available in Turriff Sports Centre, MACBI Centre, Turriff swimming pool as well as the Gateway Community Centre, Turriff and Mintlaw libraries, and Towie House.

Chair of the council’s Education, Learning & Leisure Committee, Cllr Alison Evison, said: “Different synthetic surfaces are suitable for different sports and for different levels, from competitions to local community use.

“As one size does not work for all we are gathering views on which would work best. We want to hear from the people and groups who currently use the sports pitches in Turriff and Mintlaw as well as those who might want to use them in the future.”

Vice-chair of the committee, Cllr Charles Buchan, said: “As well as the online survey, council officers will holding face-to-face discussions with local sports clubs and users.

“The resurfacing of these two pitches will benefit the hundreds of people who currently use them as well as countless people who may use them in the future so we want to get this right.”