Fears are growing that Keswick may not get a new swimming pool after all and the existing one could remain shut for at least four more years.
The 36-year-old Station Road facility was shut down 683 days ago by owners Allerdale Council and now a new report reveals it will cost anywhere between £9.3m and £13.6m to replace.
But incoming Cumberland Council, which takes over in a fortnight under local government reorganisation, has already agreed to honour £283m of capital spending commitments made by the councils it replaces.
Shelling out on the Keswick project has not made that list.
That puts any council-funded pool four years away at least, and instead, to the chagrin of many, the authority is obliged to honour projects far further advanced in Carlisle, Workington, Whitehaven and Millom.
A new 25-metre pool for Maryport is also in the offing too.
The upshot seems to be that unless the money for Keswick’s facility can be magicked from partners or external funders, any new pool is unlikely to get a serious council cash commitment for some time yet.
Commenting, campaigner Debbie Devereux said: “My confidence is very low if I am honest. It doesn’t seem like Keswick is going to get a pool.”
That being said, she and other campaigners are not throwing in the towel,and will continue to keep the pressure on council bosses and officials, some of whom migrate over to the new council.
Debbie was today attending another council committee meeting to fight the case for Keswick getting a 25-metre facility, over a smaller, less costly, 20-metre version.
It follows two potential schemes having been identified.
“It’s going to cost more but it would be extremely short-sighted to go for a 20-metre pool as it wouldn’t attract as many differing groups,” she said.
Town mayor Steve Harwood, chair of the Friends of Keswick Group, is also heading to the meeting with a question.
He remains puzzled why, instead of demolishing the existing pool and centre, which the new report says would cost £200,000, more effort hasn’t been made to retain the existing facility and invest in it, rather than pursuing a more costly new alternative.
Mr Harwood added that a consultant’s report setting out the financial appraisals were rather gloomy and he felt they had “made the excuse not to do anything”.
He believes the scheme is achievable but the council has to build a partnership with others to make it more commercially viable.
The report going to the committee shows that consultants have concluded that the best site for a new leisure centre is for it to stay where it is!
Allerdale budgeted up to £40,000 for consultants to work up a major report on future options, although it remains to be seen how much of that has been spent.
Consultants explored the pros and cons of five other sites as an alternative to Station Road.
They were:
- Keswick Rugby;
- Keswick School;
- Theatre by the Lake;
- A field off the A66 Crosthwaite roundabout;
- A National Trust field by Isthmus Bay, Derwentwater.
But the consultants’ work delves much deeper than suggesting a site, and includes operational business plans, income, analysis, staffing costs, premises, costs, supplies and service costs, as well as potential profit and overheads.
But with Allerdale bowing out, the committee will merely “note the report” at its last ever sitting, before handing over the hottest of hot potatoes to Cumberland.
The report proposes two options for Keswick – option A costing £9.3m or option B costing £13.6m.
The more expensive option has a larger footprint and more facilities with a 25-metre, five lane pool, a 50-station fitness suite and 30-person health studio.
The cheaper option would have a 20m four-lane pool, a 35-station fitness suite, and 20-25 person studio.
One ace up Keswick’s sleeve is Cllr Markus Campbell-Savours, a Labour member with access to the decision-makers on the Labour-controlled council, which is significant when cash for projects is allocated.
