A sports centre which will close to outside users at the end of the month was thrown a lifeline by Maidstone United, according to the club's chairman.

Astor of Hever Community School, Maidstone, wrote to users of its sports centre, formerly the Westborough Sports Centre, last month telling them that it would close to community groups from August 31.

School managers say it was operating at a loss and they plan to look at developing community sports there in the future.

But in a letter to the Kent Messenger, Maidstone United chairman Paul Bowden-Brown said his club had submitted draft proposals to take on the running of the sports centre, staving off closure.

Mr Bowden-Brown said the loss of the centre would be a “a great shame".

He added: “The club have been working with Astor of Hever Community School, as the lead in the local school sports partnership, and have benefited from their contacts, expertise and facilities. During that time Maidstone United has grown and we now have 30 teams and various community programmes.”

Mr Bowden-Brown said the club had been approached to see if it could take on the holiday scheme run there, which has now not gone ahead this summer.

“We were happy to do this and as we were aware of the cost implications to the school of running the sports centre we suggested that the club could run that as well.”

He added: “This seemed like a win-win situation. The school would continue to have use of the facilities in school time, with Maidstone United and other community groups benefiting outside of those hours. And instead of making a loss on the centre, the school would benefit from an annual lease payment.

“A draft proposal was prepared by the school representatives and was agreed in principle by all parties. However, it was later rejected.

“I would like to place on record the commitment of Maidstone United to take on the lease of the sports centre as long as a reasonable annual lease agreement could be agreed and I hope that the school’s management will reflect on the opportunity before them and seize it with both hands.”

But executive head teacher Jon Whitcombe said although he welcomed the club’s offer, it had not been suitable. The school, he said, would have lost control of its sports centre facilities each evening and would still have had to pick up the cost of its upkeep and the power used.

“It was an interesting proposal and we were grateful to Maidstone United for their offer,” he said. “However, it wasn’t something that was in the school’s interests and the school and its governing body, felt it wasn’t the right way to proceed at this stage.”

He added: “There is an active determination at the school to support the development of community sports...We could, in the future, broaden the range of facilities. There is a genuine commitment to that.”