“CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save St Annes pool have been given a glimmer of hope following crunch talks on the future of swimming in Fylde.
The future of the facility is back in the balance after discussions held behind closed doors at Lytham’s Lowther Pavilion.
Fylde Council has agreed to work with the YMCA, which already has sports facilities in Lytham and St Annes, to ensure the pool remains open until its July 31 closing date.”
“
http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/new???_pool_time.phpThe Loughton Swimmers club which has served the community for over 40 years has been informed by SLM (Sport and Leisure Management) that their Monday evening slot will no longer be available to them, from March onwards.
The club has 185 members and has always kept its prices low, but the Chairman of the club feels that this may be why they have been asked to leave.
The manager of Loughton Leisure Centre claims that the needs of the community are not being met if clubs are operating four days a week there, but this is strongly disputed by club members who say that parents will be dismayed to find that the club is no longer in operation.
“
(Via SwimClub.co.uk Forums Loughton Swimmers to lose pool place: .)
“Councillor Tope has gone from being the Cardinal Wolsey of the Liberal Democrats to the Gordon Brittas of leisure.” Councillor John Kennedy
“Swimmers at Cheam Leisure Centre have been told to get out the pool by the ‘Gordon Brittas of leisure’ Councillor Graham Tope.
At a council meeting on Monday Coun Tope failed to give his cast iron guarantee that the leisure centre, known as Cheam Baths, would not be closed.
‘We have known for over 20 years that Cheam is old leisure centre, we have known that for years. We need to have a sensible agreement about what’s going to be happening,’ he said.
Coun Tope explained that although half a million pounds had been earmarked to be spent on the centre in the next financial year, the cost of upkeeping the pre-war leisure centre may not be sustainable.”
(Via Cheam Baths Closed By Brittas (from Your Local Guardian): .)
“Protesters fighting a legal battle to stop Derby City Council demolishing a swimming pool told a judge they wanted enough compensation to cover the cost of repairs.
As a five-day hearing at Birmingham High Court drew to a close yesterday, Gayton Community Association told Judge David Oliver QC that their priority was to keep Gayton pool in Littleover open.
Alex Dumbill, for the group, said: “The only reason the association brought this case was that they saw the bulldozers on the horizon and had no other option.
“A derisory award of damages would be little more than insulting to the members of the community association. In my view, the best approach to damages would be the cost of the repairs.”
Earlier in the week, the council estimated repairs at £800,000. However, the community association said the figure was more like £115,000.
At the end of the hearing, Christopher Harrington, who launched legal action against the council with fellow trustee Alan Willis, said the association was not interested in being compensated. He said: “The pool would be an immeasurable loss to all our members.
“All along we have not been seeking financial damages, just to see the pool open again, at least until the end of our lease in 2013.”"
(Via Protesters fighting a legal battle to stop Derby City Council demolishing a swimming pool told a judge they wanted enough compensation to cover the cost of repairs.As a five-day hearing???: .)
“End of the road for Hadleigh Pool? Engineering experts Scott, White and Hookins have concluded that the structure of the Hadleigh pool tank is in such a bad shape that they would not recommend Babergh Council spending any significant money on it. The Council might replace it with another community and leisure centre but not a pool [LINK].
This article states that if the Hadleigh pool closes then people from the town would have to use pools in Ipswich/Colchester/Sudbury or Stowmarket, all of which are about 12 miles away.
(I have to add that they will find little joy in Ipswich, where the facilities are worse in both quantity and quality than they were 20 years ago. Broomhill Pool has been allowed to lie derelict for over five years, Fore St Baths is only open to the public at lunchtimes (Mon-Fri) and Crown Pools has been earmarked for demolition once a replacement is built.)”
(Via poolingresources : Message: Evening Star – Hadleigh pool cannot be saved: .)
“Burnham-On-Sea’s swimming pool could be set to permanently close next year under controversial proposals unveiled by the cash-strapped district council on Wednesday (December 5th).
Sedgemoor District Council’s Executive Committee announced on Wednesday it may permanently shut the Berrow Road pool by April 2008 because it is losing £250,000 a year running the facility.
Council spokeswoman Claire Faun told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The proposal is to place the site on the open market for sale with all capital receipts being generated from the sale being ring fence and placed in a common good fund for expenditure solely for the betterment of the residents of Burnham on Sea and Highbridge.”
(Via Burnham-On-Sea swimming pool is ’set to close by April 2008′: .)
“The Peers Sports Centre has won a reprieve at least until March 31st 2008. Campaigners have welcomed the decision and say this will give them a chance to fight”
(Via poolingresources at Yahoo! Groups Reprieve for Peers Sports Centre: Oxford Times: .)
“A swimming pool in a rural Dorset town could close because the council can no longer afford to run it. [LINK]
The splash pool at the Stourview Centre in Sturminster Newton is set to shut next year unless Dorset County Council can find somebody else to run it. [LINK]
The council needs to save £600,000 on its day service provision and blames the closure on the pool’s falling user numbers and rising maintenance costs. [LINK]“
(Via BBC NEWS ¦ England ¦ Dorset ¦ Town’s swimming pool could shut: .)
“Moseley Road Baths (aka Balsall Heath Baths), Birmingham, Warwickshire
The last working Grade II*-listed Edwardian swimming baths we have, the future of this outstanding building should be assured. But with estimated essential repair costs of £30 million and a falling number of regular swimmers, fears are growing that the baths, built by William Hale & Son and opened in 1907, may not be open for long. Already one of the pools has closed.Knowing how difficult it is to find uses for swimming baths that fall out of use, we are urging Birmingham Council to do all they can to safeguard the future of the pool and keep offering local people the opportunity to experience what one regular swimmer describes as a ‘holy and endangered activity’. “
(Via poolingresources at Yahoo! Groups Moseley Road Baths on national endangered buildings list: .)
Ah just 30 clubs then???
“The future of Belfast’s Grove Swimming Centre could be decided by Belfast City Council on Monday evening.
The city council will weigh up whether to close the Grove’s doors next April or keep the north Belfast facility open in a limited capacity.
Swim Ulster want the latter option until the opening of Northern Ireland’s first 50-metre pool planned for 2010.
The council had made the decision to close the pool but then rowed back in order to further consider the issue.
Thirty predominantly Belfast clubs make full use of the Grove for 40 hours every week.”
(Via BBC SPORT ¦ Other Sport??? ¦ Swimming ¦ Grove Pool future to be decided: .)
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