£1m plan to rebuild Gayton Pool

GAYTON swimming pool could be completely rebuilt under £1m plans being considered by Derby City Council.

The pool was closed last year because the then Labour-led authority said it would cost too much to repair the ageing pool enclosure.

But members of Gayton Community Association, which owns a building adjoining the pool, took the council to Birmingham County Court, because it said its leasehold agreement specified the council had to maintain the pool building.

The campaigners won their case in July – forcing the council to pay the community association £9,500 in general damages and agree to repair the building.

The council, now run by Liberal Democrats who campaigned to save the building when they were in opposition, set aside £600,000 for repairs.

But council leader Hilary Jones has revealed she is now considering completely rebuilding the pool. A decision will be made on Wednesday when she discusses the plan with senior officers.

The proposal could be challenged by opposition parties.

Mrs Jones said: "We believe we have a solution that meets everyone's needs. This new facility, if agreed, will mean Gayton Pool will be a modern, attractive, purpose-built swimming facility that the community can be proud of.

"There are many benefits to looking at a new build rather than a refurbishment.

"These include that the new pool will meet Disability Discrimination Act requirements, it will have new changing rooms, new tiled pool and plant machinery, and it will be more energy efficient and therefore cheaper to maintain.

"A complete rebuild will mean the pool has a life span beyond that which any repair works would have given it".

Council officers have said that replacing the whole building and pool would be the best option because they could not guarantee how long the changing rooms and pool would last.

The pool will be the same 15.5m by 7m size as the existing one but the building would be larger to give a better layout.

The plan has been welcomed by the community association.

Secretary Chris Harrington said: "We are delighted with this proposal, as it will mean people from the local community will have an excellent pool where their children can learn to swim in an attractive and safe environment.

"We only ever wanted to preserve a valuable asset for the local schoolchildren, and indeed the wider community, and we have achieved this."

The extra money will come from cash the council had set aside to refurbish the Silk Mill. That work must now be postponed after a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £5m towards the museum project was rejected this week.