Community solutions are being sought to fill the void left by the closure of Keswick’s leisure pool.
Allerdale Borough Council has re-emphasised its desire to work with the community by calling on local people to help it develop “ambitious” projects to improve the town’s health and wellbeing.
“It is clear from the reaction to the news the pool is to close permanently, that there is a lot of interest in this issue,” said Mike Johnson, leader of the council.
“We want to tap into that and find out people’s views.
“We’ll start by working with the newly-formed Friends of Keswick Leisure as well as reaching out to other key groups.
“But we also want to speak to as many people as possible and will be doing more consultation in the weeks to come and I very much encourage people to get involved.”
The announcement comes after a petition to replace the pool has garnered more than 1,000 signatures and will be debated at the authority’s meeting in Workington on July 28.
The condemned pool was closed throughout the pandemic and maintenance work highlighted a series of age-related problems such as the tiling, drainage and filters.
The council said it would have to spend in excess of £200,000 repairing the facility, which already ran at a loss of £250,000 every year.
Councillor Markus Campbell-Savours, district and town councillor for Keswick and founder of Friends of Keswick Leisure, said: “Sadly this statement falls short of committing to a new swimming provision in the town.
“Despite knowing for some time that the facility was at risk of closure, the council has closed the pool without a plan already in place for its replacement.
“This may leave Keswick without swimming provision for years.
“Of course, I strongly welcome the council’s commitments to work with the community and Friends of Keswick Leisure, however this dialogue must not delay planning for a new facility, agreeing how it will be financed and if the existing site is not used, where it will be located.
“With an announcement on local government re-organisation expected later this month, we need to see Allerdale take action before it’s too late.”
Councillor Johnson added: “We are committed to promoting healthy, active lifestyles in Allerdale and we want to be ambitious with this project, as well as getting it right so that any new facilities continue to be a success for many years to come.
“The leisure pool at Keswick was built many years ago and has served us well over the past three decades. However, despite regular maintenance and investment it has reached the end of its life – something which the coronavirus pandemic has only highlighted further.
“Times and sporting tastes have also changed so we need to ensure that any new facilities meet current and future needs.
“Therefore, it’s now time to take stock of the situation and find out what the people of Keswick want to see in their town for the next 30 years.
“I can’t guarantee that every idea will come to fruition, but we will listen.”
