Outdoor centre closure plan 'sends shockwaves'

A plan to close an outdoor study centre has "sent shockwaves" through a city, a council leader has said.

Hampshire County Council has started a consultation on shutting Stubbington Study Centre (SSC) so it can be turned into a new secure children's home.

The local authority said the home was needed to cope with a high demand for specialist residential care.

However, Portsmouth City Council leader Steve Pitt said the closure would be "tragic" for the 6,000 children who stay there each year.

In a letter to Hampshire County Council leader Nick Adams-King, the Liberal Democrat said: "I am taking the slightly unusual step of writing to you formally about something outside of Portsmouth's unitary boundary - Stubbington Study Centre.

"The proposal to close it and repurpose has sent shockwaves through the Portsmouth community.

"Many, like me, enjoyed a week at SSC themselves as young people.

"Once gone, it will never be replaced."

Mr Pitt proposed a search for a new site for the children's home, involving other local authorities.

Previously, Fareham Borough Council, which covers Stubbington, expressed concerns about the closure plan.

It said SSC was a "well-attended and much-loved community facility that has served children across the region for almost 90 years".

An online petition to save the centre has so far attracted more than 14,000 signatures.

Mr Adams-King previously said there was a high demand for specialist residential care due to the growing complexity of needs.

He said: "With government funding, promised in the budget, we now have a unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a state-of-the-art residential home here in Hampshire."

The study centre includes nature areas and residential buildings on a 14-acre (5.6ha) site on the Solent seafront.

People have until 10 February to comment on the plan.

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