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Camden New Journal - by RICHARD OSLEY
Published: 25 January 2007
 
Swimmers condemn plan to shutdown baths

They say don’t shut Prince of Wales until £22.7m refurb begins

SWIMMERS have urged the Town Hall to scrap a four-week deadline over the closure of their favourite pool.
Liberal Democrat leisure chief Councillor Flick Rea said she could not put off plans to refurbish the Prince of Wales Baths in Kentish Town without talking to experts first. She faced her critics at a public meeting nearby St Patrick’s School on Tuesday night, hit with a series of questions about where children’s swimming lessons, gym facilities and aqua-aerobic sessions would be transferred to.
The Victorian pool is heading for a £22.7 million refurbishment but swimmers are angry the doors are due to close on February 25 when exact plans have yet to be drawn up. The council has given a rough estimation that the baths will re-open again in 2010.
Cllr Rea said there were no firm designs because she wanted pool users to have a say in what course the revamp would take.
She said: “I must say that I am slightly disappointed. I wanted this to be a different kind of consultation, an open consultation where people were involved from the start rather than two-thirds through the process.
“We have plans, we have plans coming out of ears going back to every time somebody has thought about refurbishing the pool but that isn’t the point. We wanted to know what you think.
“People think this is a plot to close the baths. It’s not. I have given my personal guarantee.”
Cllr Rea said that pool users should take advantage of backstage tours to see the scale of disrepair at the baths.
Swimmers had asked why parts of the building could not be kept open while initial structural tests were taken and contracts were struck.
In a show of hands vote, the majority of swimmers called on the council to extend the February 25 deadline.
Regular swimmer Roderick Allison said that organising contracts could take months and that the centre did not to close in the meantime, while pool user Denise Lester said: “I think this decision is judicially reviewable and flies in the face of Camden’s socialist past. You are taking away people’s right to life, right to living a healthy life. There is an arrogance about all of this.”
– see letters


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