AN Ulster Unionist councillor has said he can "scarcely comprehend" a row over the naming of a £30 million council leisure centre after one of the founders of the SAS.
Newtownards councillor Richard Smart has defended the decision of Ards & North Down Borough Council to name a new £30 million leisure facility after the British soldier Blair Mayne.
The Ards Blair Mayne Leisure Centre on Dairy Hall playing fields in Newtownards is to open late next year.
An amendment proposing the centre be named after the 40-year-old, who died in 1955, has already been passed by the council.
However the official naming of the centre is to be subject to an equality impact assessment amid concerns about whether the name is appropriate.
Blair Mayne, a trained lawyer who played rugby for Ireland, was one of the first to join the newly-formed SAS in 1941.
Mr Smart described Mayne as Newtownards's "most famous son"
"Blair Mayne was a war hero and an Irish rugby international who also played for the British Lions," he said.
"He was a founder member of the SAS. He fought in North Africa, Italy and Germany and his exploits in World War Two in helping defeat fascism are the stuff of legend.
"Any town in the United Kingdom would be proud to call him one of their own, and it is an honour for the people of Newtownards that we can do so."
However, SDLP councillor Joe Boyle questioned whether naming the new centre after Mayne was the best decision.
"Is it the best name, is it the most appropriate?" he said.
"This is not to denigrate Blair Mayne's considerable sporting achievements but we are building a £30 million facility where everyone has to feel comfortable."
Mr Boyle said a consultancy firm had recommended the new centre should have a short name, similar to the Bangor Aurora complex.
"I am trying to find out how much it may have cost us to ignore professional advice," he said.
