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Here’s hoping we finally get our pool
• COUNCILLOR Flick Rea stated about the refurbishment of the Kentish Town Swimming Baths that “the project represented a risk but said the prospect of a top sports facility opening inside the old Victorian building – sometime in 2010 was too good to ignore”. (Revamp of bath to cost extra £2.5m, March 29).
Taking for granted that the money for the refurbishment will be spent wisely employing already recognised experts in refurbishment of successful pools and sports facilities, then I am sure the public will be fully behind her and her party.
I note that Cllr Rea also indicated that they may sell part of the baths’ land to help foot the bill. Might she not guide her immediate attention down the road to the Dalby Street scheme.
If Celine La Freniere is right in her assessment (What madness to allow Dalby scheme, March 29) that the land may be going for a song, then it would be a pity if Camden did not benefit from this vile project, if only financially.
The value of the land to be acquired by the developers (if one is to go by the sale by TRAC Properties to an overseas developer of the tiny piece of land at 52 Prince of Wales Road for £3.5m) should indicate that any price tag under £12m for the rest of the site would be totally unacceptable.
Residents may have to live in the future with dire consequences of the Lib Dem/Conservative coalition having authorised this scheme. But at least they should not make complete fools of taxpayers by allowing this land to be given away. That would certainly add insult to injury.
BEV SILVERSTEIN
Malden Road, NW5
• COUNCILLOR Anna Stewart, Labour leader of the opposition writes of her concern that the costs of the refurbishment of the Kentish Town Baths seem to be spiralling (Bath costs are rising, Mar 29).
Perhaps Cllr Stewart should be reminded that, had her party looked after this asset of the borough over the years instead of just promising to do so whenever an election came around, the building would not have deteriorated to the the state where it now requires these large sums?
DON HIBBS
Willes Road, NW5
• AFTER reading Thoe Blackwell (Labour’s baths plan was best, Mar 22) I feel compelled to write this letter to let your readers and Theo know about the history of promises of local swimming pools made to the people of Somers Town over the last half century.
The first was in 1957 when the rebuilding of Sir William Collins school began. We were told that there would a swimming pool built there which would be kept open after school hours for community use – this was the start of many such promises that all came to nothing.
One of them that stands out in my mind was made alongside of the promises of jobs for local people. Just the same as Theo said.
The only pools that came out of that was the muddy ones that appeared everywhere you looked and the only work that came out it was the hard work we all experienced trying to keep our homes clean due to the dust from the building site in our mist.
So here’s hoping we finally get our “much-needed swimming pool” along with local jobs for local people.
DAVE HOEFLING
Werrington St, NW1
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