New pool for Shrewsbury Quarry must be ‘fit for 2040’
The chairman of the campaign group fighting to keep the Quarry Pool in Shrewsbury says now is the time for Shropshire Council to ensure that any future pool is fit for the 21st century.
Bernard Wills, from the Quarry Forum met Shropshire Council leader Peter Nutting to put forward his case for any new pool to cater to the needs of all who use it - from swimming clubs to exercise classes and beginner lessons.
And he said the council needs to ensure that the pool is 'future proofed' for decades to come.
Bernard said: "This is the ideal opportunity for the council to build a facility for the town for the 21st century.
"The important thing going forward is to ensure its future proof and and that it does fit the needs of 2040, let alone now.
"We need to have the opportunities for people to swim. I urge the council to look in depth at the activities that take place and at the growth of Shrewsbury. Not only do we need large pools, we also need pools where people can participate in sub aqua and water aerobics. We need a pool where children can learn to swim.
"At the meeting I had with Peter Nutting I asked that the council build a facility that will meet everybody's needs for at least the next 30 years. We do not want to be in a position in six years time where the council or those who use the pool say 'we wish we had done that'.
"There does need to be proper dialogue to find out the needs of those who will use it before work starts. Now that the leader of the council has said that the pool is likely to remain in the Quarry we need to make sure it is done right. I have asked Councillor Nutting to involve us when this goes through to the next stage.
"It is best to get it right from the start. This has been a long time coming. Now that they have grasped that having a pool in the Quarry is the right place for it to be, let's make certain that it does meet the needs of 2040 and beyond."
Councillor Nutting said last year that the pool would likely remain in the town. Shropshire Council's previous administration had backed a plan to close the pools at the Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre, and build a new one at Shrewsbury Sports Village in Sundorne.
Earlier this month Councillor Nutting said that the council was 'minded to redevelop the current site'. No official decision has yet been revealed over the future of the pool.
