ANGER AT SWIMMING POOL CLOSURE
The announcement that the Purley Swimming Pool is to be closed next year not only caused anger amongst users of the pool, but also led to accusations from Coulsdon residents that they had not been informed of plans to build on the town's Lion Green Road car park.
One email to the Council pointed out that at the town's Neighbourhood Parnership meeting at the beginning of March a question was asked about the possible provision of a swimming pool at Cane Hill. The reply from the Council's Planning Department made no mention of a pool at the Lion Green Road Car Park site, but a week later the Council issued a press release that said the Lion Green Road car park had been identified as a site for development that could possibly include a swimming pool.
Local residents and Councillors feel that residents' opinions are not being properly considered. One Councillor's email commented, "we now have four different bits of the Council involved in regenerating Coulsdon (the Urban Development team re the regeneration plam, Parking Services as soon as we get the road back from TfL, Leisure Services (re swimming pool) and the Asset Management team re Cane Hill) and it is important that they are aware of what each other are doing and speak with one voice."
One Purley reaction was from Ken Trench, the organiser of the Purley Swimathon, which was held at the Purley Pool last month and raised over £25,000 for local charities and clubs. He wrote the following letter to the "Croydon Advertiser": "Your story last week giving the news that Purley swimming pool is to close was an example of a Council trying to wrap 'good' news around bad news.
The Council told the Advertiser three or four years ago that a multi-million pound development was to take place in Purley High Street. You reported the developer was to demolish the old Sainsbury store, swimming pool and multi-storey car park and re-build them all with a retail store frontage and flats above. You printed the architects' outline drawing.
It never happened.
Since then the Council has been searching for another developer to take on the task, but having to face the cost of including a swimming pool and multi-storey car park is not a viable proposition for a developer.
To me the Council's new strategy is simple and in some ways sensible.
By taking the Purley swimming pool off the 'extras list' the Purley High Street developer has to provide, and transferring that cost to a potential Coulsdon developer, they might attract developers for both.
In Coulsdon they also have the Lion Green Road car park to offer the developer as a major commercial building site.
A major flaw in the strategy is that the Council cannot tell us if this new approach to find developers is to be successful or when it may happen. Will the Purley High Street saga be repeated?
The fact that the Council have decided to close the Purley pool before a new alternative is properly arranged is a failure of local governance.
For the Council to hide behind the excuse that the pool is "past its sell-by date" simply indicates that no proper planned maintenance programme investment has been made by the Council for the last few years.
Purley pool should remain open until firm plans for a replacement are finalised."
One email to the Council pointed out that at the town's Neighbourhood Parnership meeting at the beginning of March a question was asked about the possible provision of a swimming pool at Cane Hill. The reply from the Council's Planning Department made no mention of a pool at the Lion Green Road Car Park site, but a week later the Council issued a press release that said the Lion Green Road car park had been identified as a site for development that could possibly include a swimming pool.
Local residents and Councillors feel that residents' opinions are not being properly considered. One Councillor's email commented, "we now have four different bits of the Council involved in regenerating Coulsdon (the Urban Development team re the regeneration plam, Parking Services as soon as we get the road back from TfL, Leisure Services (re swimming pool) and the Asset Management team re Cane Hill) and it is important that they are aware of what each other are doing and speak with one voice."
One Purley reaction was from Ken Trench, the organiser of the Purley Swimathon, which was held at the Purley Pool last month and raised over £25,000 for local charities and clubs. He wrote the following letter to the "Croydon Advertiser": "Your story last week giving the news that Purley swimming pool is to close was an example of a Council trying to wrap 'good' news around bad news.
The Council told the Advertiser three or four years ago that a multi-million pound development was to take place in Purley High Street. You reported the developer was to demolish the old Sainsbury store, swimming pool and multi-storey car park and re-build them all with a retail store frontage and flats above. You printed the architects' outline drawing.
It never happened.
Since then the Council has been searching for another developer to take on the task, but having to face the cost of including a swimming pool and multi-storey car park is not a viable proposition for a developer.
To me the Council's new strategy is simple and in some ways sensible.
By taking the Purley swimming pool off the 'extras list' the Purley High Street developer has to provide, and transferring that cost to a potential Coulsdon developer, they might attract developers for both.
In Coulsdon they also have the Lion Green Road car park to offer the developer as a major commercial building site.
A major flaw in the strategy is that the Council cannot tell us if this new approach to find developers is to be successful or when it may happen. Will the Purley High Street saga be repeated?
The fact that the Council have decided to close the Purley pool before a new alternative is properly arranged is a failure of local governance.
For the Council to hide behind the excuse that the pool is "past its sell-by date" simply indicates that no proper planned maintenance programme investment has been made by the Council for the last few years.
Purley pool should remain open until firm plans for a replacement are finalised."
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