In today’s Express David Monk is repeating his claim that this is probably the last chance for a new pool and states that they need the return from the houses to build the leisure centre. But have they actually tried to meet the funding gap any other way? (Most of the cost of the new leisure centre will be met from the sale of the existing pool site and the s106 money from Nickoll’s Quarry). And in any case building the leisure centre on NQ would be cheaper because not so much land preparation would be required.
The council have consistently said that it would take too long for the NQ site to become available. However in the planning application they say that NQ would be available in 2020. Hidden in the ecology report is a time frame for the Princes Parade project which says that the work on the leisure centre there would start in June 2019. So wouldn’t it be better to wait a few months, build it on NQ and save our precious open space?
Worryingly in the Express Councillor Monk is quoted as saying “It’s several million to do the thing – it’s not been fully costed.” So as we have been saying again and again why have they submitted the planning application when they haven’t done the financial viability calculations and therefore don’t even know if they can deliver the promised public benefits which include the new leisure centre?