NEWS that the public consultation over plans for the King Alfred leisure centre are to be delayed for up to six months will produce predictable groans.

Quite why council officers need so much more time to look at contractual and legal issues before letting the public have its say is unclear.

Dither and delay have been watchwords for the redevelopment of this prime site for many years so perhaps we should not be surprised.

The truth is the sooner the public is asked for its views the sooner the overwhelming opposition to the ugly £166m preferred scheme which The Argus has not refrained from calling a blot on the seafront can be gauged.

This newspaper has found very little support for the Rob Starr/Crest Nicholson plan.

Let us not forget the behind closed doors decision to award the contract in the first place made by less than a handful of questionable qualified councillors.

And Let us not forget that council leader Warren Morgan has already admitted that it was not chosen on architectural merit but affordability, a breathtaking statement given its prime location on our seafront.

The sooner this application is brought out into the glare of public consultation the better.

Those involved cannot be allowed to drag their feet as the site is too important to too many people.

The current building and surrounding area is a mess and we need a new leisure centre fit for our time and the future

We still live in hope the plans can be radically altered to something future generations can be proud of.