Furious residents are rallying against a plan to hand over the last green space in their community to a hockey club.

Ralston Sports Centre has been at the centre of controversy since Kelburne Hockey Club announced plans to turn the site into its new home by building a state-of-the-art £600,000 complex.

Campaigners say if Renfrewshire Council proceeds with the community asset transfer, it will leave local youth football clubs fighting for space to train and play their matches.

One of those who claims to be badly impacted is Ralston Skill Centre, which offers youngsters aged from five to 17 a wide range of sports and volunteering opportunities.

They are based at the centre and club chiefs yesterday urged council bosses to show the plan the red card.

Norrie Murray, of Ralston Skill Centre, said: “This is a much-loved facility and is hugely valued amongst residents. For 25 years we have provided football training for local kids but if this plan goes ahead there won’t be enough room for us to train and it could ultimately result in our closure.

“People use the centre for fitness classes and kids use it to play. It’s at the very heart of the area and that’s where it should remain. People in Ralston want to work with the council to improve the facility, but we’re not being given this option.”

Youngsters who use the facility will join local politicians to deliver a petition to bosses at Renfrewshire Council headquarters on Friday.

Glasgow Times:

Scottish Conservative MSP Russell Findlay says closing the centre would be 'disastrous' for the local community.

He said: “This plan stinks. Ralston Community Sports Centre is a crown jewel asset which the SNP-run council are shamefully plotting to offload.

“They are only doing this to save money and should instead direct their energies towards Nicola Sturgeon’s Edinburgh Government which has made eye-watering cuts to council budgets.

“I’ve seen and heard first-hand how angry people are about this and have no doubt about their determination to keep Ralston in public ownership and for it to flourish for everyone’s benefit.”

Scottish Conservative councillor Neil Graham, who represents Paisley North East and Ralston, added: “Thousands of young footballers have developed their skills and kept fit at Ralston for over 25 years.

“There has been a lot of spin around this proposed asset transfer, but it’s crystal clear that if it goes ahead these youngsters will be locked out and have nowhere left to go. The petitions will be handed into Renfrewshire Council on Friday and campaigners are optimistic that common sense will prevail.” 

Glasgow Times:

Billy Anderson from Kelburne Hockey Club believes the new complex will be hugely beneficial to the community. 

He said: “Being very close to the Ralston centre, which has been under-utilised for many years now, almost closing in 2016, we wanted to take our hockey community and revitalise the centre.

“A second hockey pitch for Renfrewshire which then meets demand for hockey in Paisley, an up-graded pavilion to increase fitness classes from under 20 to 50 per week, provide a social base for new and old groups that want to expand or start-up, a small cafe for members and visitors, and while hockey would be the principal sport at the centre, it will be a multi-sport venue for other sports, especially minority sports.

“We will continue to cater for football on the grass area and that can be used and booked at any time for juniors and senior matches, and [it] requires some drainage investment which we are prepared to do, to make it playable all-year round rather than just seven to eight months of the year. 

“We are committed to a wide range of use and availability of the community greenspace and we will continue to make that available to local residents.  

“We will provide free hockey and pitch hire for all Renfrewshire schools, for active schools. Free use by Ralston Primary School during the day for their school activities, with the pavilion available for lots of health and well-being groups, social groups, local dance  and yoga groups and kids birthday parties.

“We recognise that this is a major change for everyone but we believe the centre needs it and that we can deliver all these benefits to the local community as a responsible tenant. In many respects there is a leap of faith required for what is a major change, but we believe we can offer a new and great experience for this iconic venue for all of Paisley and especially local residents too.”

Renfrewshire Council received a community asset transfer (CAT) request from Kelburne Hockey Club for a long-term lease of Ralston Community Sports Centre.

A spokesman added: "As with all CAT requests, we have a legal obligation within the legislation to consider all requests made for public buildings as part of a due process.

"The application is currently out for consultation and we welcome all interested parties who wish to submit a representation to send them to communityassettransfer@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

"Following the closing date of July 1, 2022, the applicant will have 20 working days to respond to any representations and a recommendation will then be made in due course by the Community Asset Transfer Panel using the council’s approved CAT policy.

"If it is agreed that the request meets the legal requirements to be considered, a report with a recommendation will be submitted to the council’s Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board."