By Patrick Bean Shadow Sports Minister Nelson Bascome's criticisms of construction of the National Sports Centre are "total nonsense'', the centre's chairman charged yesterday.

And Donald Lines took particular exception to Mr. Bascome's allegations that the public were being kept in the dark over plans for the complex, saying information had been provided both in the Press and during meetings with various sporting bodies and Government.

On Thursday Mr. Bascome called on Government to come clean with plans for the Centre and said that there were "a number of fundamental wrongs that would not be carried out by a public citizen of our Island''.

But Mr. Lines, while admitting that plans had yet to be completed, said Mr.

Bascome had failed to attend meetings about the project and that was the reason for his lack of knowledge about the project.

"It's been in the press, on the news, I've talked to him personally when we went up to ZBM one day...we told him what the concept plan was,'' said a clearly irate Mr. Lines.

"If he hasn't got enough energy to go to the sporting bodies when they and I were having a meeting -- which he didn't turn up for as far as I can gather -- then one can only wonder.

"In January at the Bermuda College we made a presentation to all the sporting bodies, told them what it was and they were all enthusiastic about the proposal.'' Mr. Lines said designs based on a concept plan are currently being prepared by Canada based professional sports consultancy firm Johnson Sports.

The company is defining what has to be designed relevant to the needs of the area in question -- in and around Frog Lane, Devonshire -- and once these are completed a draft will be presented to local architects from which definitive plans will be drawn.

"The reason we haven't got a model or a complete architectural plan is because we haven't reached that stage yet,'' said Mr. Lines. "When we do get plans there will be a public airing and Mr. Bascome's comments here are totally extreme. He should know better and I'm damned upset about it.

"In the article the things that he says are wrong. He suggests no models, that we're removing houses, removing woodland areas and gardens, no sketches, that the old Bermuda College is being taken down, he goes down a list of things that are not so.'' Mr. Lines brushed off assertions regarding clearing of a woodland area, referring to it as "scruff'', while highlighting the fact that from the beginning it was known that houses and gardens would have to be eliminated in order for the job to progress.

Mr. Lines also took umbrage at an assertion by Mr. Bascome that "the people of Bermuda don't know what they're getting and efforts should have been concentrated on completing the first phase''.

Centre chairman hits back at Bascome's criticisms Said Mr. Lines: "At least he acknowledges that he knows what the phases are.

"He always waits until I go away and Charlie Marshall is away to criticise.

He knows enough to be critical when people are away, but he won't acknowledge what he doesn't know and I find it most unfortunate.'' As for the environment and the effect on it a proposed five storey mega-building might have it was noted that no threat was posed by the construction and the area would be much better off following completion, with two new big fields at the northern end, a community sporting centre, gymnasium and several other facilities between the northern and southern fields.

And the Bermuda College building was not in jeopardy of being demolished, but would remain and be refurbished, although the structures which once made up the old Sixth Form Centre would be flattened, as refurbishment costs were prohibitive and many contained asbestos.

"It's totally wrong to say that we are knocking down the Bermuda College.

That is not so, we are knocking down the old sixth form centre, which is a building that has been vandalised and which Mr. Bascome has looked at a number of times as he lives in that area.

"We're also knocking down a bunch of what were Technical Institute, garage type buildings. They're not the Bermuda College, but sheds, basically.

"The two storey Bermuda College building will be left, which we're going to use for exactly the sort of things which he's complaining about.'' The college building has been earmarked for use by sporting bodies in need of centrally located office space.

In terms of funding, Mr. Lines said most of the money would be raised by the trustees, with minimal public funds being used.

"There isn't public money being spent, that's the point. Government asked us, the trustees, to look after raising this money separately and that's what we're going to do, so Mr. Bascome's out of kilter on that one too. The only thing the Government is committed to doing is underwriting the cost of the interest and the service charge in running the place, that's all.

"All of this is being done by volunteers for no money and I take violent exception to his approach to this, because he's speaking for unjustified reasons. And if he's got anything to contribute then why didn't he contribute in the first place?'' Mr. Lines was backed by Minister of Youth and Sport Tim Smith, who said his Ministry, far from demolishing the college, is considering moving to the building with other sports governing bodies.

He said: "The Government is fully supportive of the Trustees' progress and plans and believes the Trustees have done all they can to keep the House of Assembly and the public fully informed on progress of the development to date.''