Councillors say pool must remain in Shrewsbury's town centre
Opposition councillors at Shropshire Council say a redeveloped town centre pool would put swimming in Shrewsbury “on the map”.
The council has voted to press ahead with a consultation on a £28m scheme to build a new facility at the Shrewsbury Sports Village(SSV) in Sundorne, which opponents have described as a “death knell” for Shrewsbury’s ageing town centre pool at the Quarry.
The authority is keen to stress that no decisions have been taken on the future of the existing facility, and say options to redevelop the Quarry site will be brought forward later on.
Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Roger Evans said a redeveloped town centre pool would bring economic and tourism benefits to the county – and expressed his disappointment that the planned SSV consultation would go ahead in its current form.
He said: “I’m disappointed that the survey document as approved by the cabinet is now going to go out to Shropshire residents. It’s all about Shrewsbury, nothing about rural areas, and really it is flawed. No-where in the report does it say how rural residents will access the new pool.
“I’m in favour of two pools, a smaller one at the (Sundorne) sports centre and a main one in the centre of Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury is the heart of Shropshire, let’s have a pool in the heart of Shropshire.
“We’ve got all this redevelopment at Riverside and Smithfield Road – surely there is a place there? That to me is a pool which would help the economy and one which would help put Shrewsbury on the map.”
Green Party councillor Julian Dean also agreed with the idea of having a competition pool complemented by a leisure pool in the town, but accused the Liberal Democrats of “flip-flopping” on their support for the Sundorne scheme.
He said: “I think the idea of a leisure pool in the centre of town and a sports pool at the edge of town makes a lot of sense, and I think it’s unfortunate that [the Liberal Democrats] seem to be flip-flopping on whether they support that pool on the edge of town or not.
“It’s unusual for Shropshire Council to put forward a reasonable investment proposal and I think we should grab it with both hands – whilst holding onto the idea that there could be a decent facility in the town centre.
“I understand people’s attachment to the Quarry and I hope we can find a way to keep swimming in the centre of town as well.”
