THE team behind plans to build a pioneering £26m sports complex in Mid Cheshire have challenged the sceptics to come and meet them.

Michael Davey and Marjory Issatt, the directors of MID Point Sports Ltd, claim that there are a handful of people who have set out to 'sow the seed of doubt' over their ambitious plans for Middlewich.

But they insist that they do have the financial backing to take the project forward.

Last week, the proposals hit a stumbling block when the owners of the vacant building MID Point Sports Ltd was hoping to use leased it to another company for five years.

The pair insisted that they have back-up plans, but admitted that the project to build the leisure centre, due to open to members of the public next autumn, would be delayed.

The owners have also been asked by members of Middlewich First to 'show them the money'. A statement issued last week said: 'A viable business plan has yet to be seen by either the people of Middlewich, the town council or the business community in our town.'

But Miss Issatt said: 'I just want to reassure the people of Mid Cheshire and beyond that we do have the money and we would not have invested three years of time and effort, not to mention expense, if we could not see this through.'

Mr Davey added: 'If people want a sports complex in the town, they should be supporting us instead of wasting time with tittle tattle. It's up to the community now - this is their chance to get behind us and achieve something great for Middlewich.'

MID Point Sports Ltd had hoped to use an empty warehouse on Mid Point 18 to house the development. But after the deal fell through, they will be designing and building a new facility from scratch. Miss Issatt said the new building will create a number of new options for MID Point Sports Ltd, making the scheme bigger and better than before.

She said: 'Before, we had to fit in with the building - now the building can be purpose-built for us. We are hoping to expand on our existing plans and add a few extra facilities including a table tennis centre of 20 tables and four extra bowling lanes.

'We will also be introducing changes to the swimming pool. It needs to have a constant depth of two metres for national competitions, but this is not practical for public use so we will be installing a moveable floor to adjust the depth.

'Our poolside spectator seats will also be increased from 500 to 1,000.'

The directors are currently in negotiations with an unnamed construction company for the new design, and they expect to announce details in the next few weeks.

A spokesman for the company confirmed that Middlewich is still its first choice for the development, mainly because of the excellent motorway links. But it will consider alterative sites within Mid Cheshire if it cannot find the right site in Middlewich.