Worthing swimming pool plans come under fire
Stefan Sykes has criticised the latest swimming pool plans
WORTHING Council is facing fire from two directions over its plans for the new £19.7million swimming pool.
Seafront café owner Stefan Sykes claims it is no longer planned to integrate the southern part of the pool design into the esplanade – meaning that the two areas will be completely separate.
And Worthing Lib Dems says democracy has “taken a step backward” as Adur cabinet councillors will be sitting in on a meeting which will decide on offers for the sale of the old Aquarena site.
Mr Sykes, who runs the esplanade’s Coast Café, said the pool complex’s southern boundary would be sealed off from the promenade, and there would be an unsightly gap between it and the eastern end of the raised walkway, and kiosk tower.
If this revised plan went ahead, there would be no need to remove the walkway’s centre section, thus saving demolition costs of around £100,000.
Mr Sykes said he thought money problems had led to the plans being altered, but it would be a “false economy”.
A Worthing Council spokeswoman said: “We have to demolish the central elevated section to provide the security needed for the external terraces/new pool building.
“For cost reasons, it has been agreed to do the external terrace linkage with the existing walkway (east side) and first-floor kiosk in two phases.
“Phase 1 (affordable in the current scheme) will provide no public access; phase two will provide full public access (via the pool), but will be done at a later date when finance is available.
“The two separated sections will look identical, but only the west side will be publicly accessible.
“The east side will not be allowed to become ‘derelict’.”
The council’s Lib Dems said that under the new “stream-lined” committee system, democracy was taking a step backwards because Adur cabinet members would be on the joint strategic committee to consider the Aquarena site sale.
“Worthing’s new swimming pool has been hailed as the most important decision for the town in decades – yet the discussion is shared with Adur and squeezed into an agenda for the two councils,” said a Lib Dem statement.
“Liberal Democrats accept that only Worthing cabinet members will vote, but surely this important matter deserves a better forum – one in which Worthing has a voice on our own.”
Council leader Paul Yallop said holding fewer meetings of councillors was saving £100,000 a year, and Adur councillors would not be able vote on the sale of the pool site.
He added he hoped a start would be made soon on building the new pool, but the large number of tenders for the work were still being considered.
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Comments
There are 24 comments to this article
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frankly
Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 06:00 PM@22 GJW We will have to agree to differ on the subject,WBC have a history of failure, and this is but par for the course. We shall see if the new pool turns out to be economically viable.and satisfies Worthing residents. Now that our beloved paddling pool has gone, I think I can say no more on the topic. The Wife purchased the book for my birthday, I think she obtained it from Guild Care, it`s quite recently published, "Worthing under Attack" by Chris Hare ,about £7-£8 I think, bargain!,
Ttomy
Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 02:38 PMCertainly not referring to the national scene BUT wouldn't it be great if the papers tried to look independent and when they use WSCC press releases as fact (rather than fiction or obfuscation) they label such tems as advertorials rather than news so when we hear about Hammond xCEO of wSCC walking on water or the old transport guy the lord leFFtenant of the army we know its all rubbish? after all when Henry smith, leader of WSCC seemed to support a quarter of a million salaries to WSCC dears due to the expertise and competition (from Norfolk or Tescos?) BUT now as a Tory MP supports a different point of view - bet such hypochrisy is never recognised in OUR local papers
GJW
Saturday, July 9, 2011 at 02:44 PM@21 Frankly ..but the new aquarena will be better, if you take into account the fun area and seperate diving pit. I would love a 50m 8 lane pool but it would be too large for this town. I would agree that 25m 8 lanes and improved spectator seating would attract more aquatic events. Where did you get the book from?
frankly
Saturday, July 9, 2011 at 01:08 PM@20 GJW WRONG, I am NOT against change, far from it. as long as the change is for the better,an improvement on what we already have, hence my opposition to the new smaller pool, and it`s location,and for various other reasons which I dont need to restate here. With regard to Teville Gate,agreed that site can`t be left as it is currently,but do we really need to have to have inflicted on us yet more social inadequates via council-government policy. I have said what Worthing needs is to attract people with money. Your piece about another Frankly living in 1800 etc is remarkable,in as much as I am in the process of reading Chris Hare`s latest book,entitled "WORTHING under attack" Talk about history repeating itself it`s brilliant!,it talks about various contributors to a previous "Worthing Journal" back in the 1920s 30s bemoaning the building over the Goring fields etc,I would recommend the book to all.
GJW
Friday, July 8, 2011 at 06:19 PM@Frankly - You are against change. You have fond memories of Worthing and nothing will be an improvement on those good old days. Once upon a time, there was another Frankly living in the 1800s who wanted to keep little old Worthing a simple fishing village and moaned and moaned to whoever would listen. But he lost out to the younger generation of the day and the town has grown to the size it is now, allowing you to spend many a happy year here. Young Frankly (born 1990) wants a modernised town and will be delighted with the new swimming pool and development at Teville Gate and wont miss the theatres since the Dome (London) is only an hour or so away. In 2060 Young Frankly will be moaning about the good old days, the Dome has gone and they want to knock down those fine buildings on the entrance to Teville Gate...and so the circle of life goes on.
frankly
Friday, July 8, 2011 at 02:59 PM@17 We are well aware of what is worse outside the Borough limits. What we dont want is for those worse things to be part of our lives within the Borough. Good advice "Pull up the drawbridge" keep out the riffraff , and the property developers. When a politician, local or national, says I want to serve my community. remind him of the various charities that would love to have him, instead of giving him your vote.
frankly
Friday, July 8, 2011 at 02:45 PMFurther to @16 Joby you cant be that bad as a newby if you can sniff out the Hobgoblin bargains when told of them. As to a ceremony, try a visit to the Summer Tree by Broadwater`s Grove Lodge roundabout sometime in July I believe it to be,somptingvillagemorriss website may help. My point is, when say in 2045 if you could be spared and allowed back to Worthing, just to observe mind you, not to haunt anybody. Would you be happy with the changes made in those 50 odd years since you first arrived here, probably The South Downs and beyond all built over,Tower blocks of affordable housing everywhere. Not a greenfield within 50miles of Worthing,coastal flooding on a regular basis. Not a nice thought is it,but quite possible under the current systems and whatever the politics.
Joby
Friday, July 8, 2011 at 02:36 PM@ 16 .....suffice to say work took me to 4 different regions in Britain and abroad. I can assure anyone, there is a lot worse beyond this town's Borough limits ! Advise, try promoting what we do best and ignore a few understandable shortcomings. An old saying; if we don't make ourselves part of the solution, we remain part of the problem.
frankly
Friday, July 8, 2011 at 02:18 PM@15 So Joby you moved to the Worthing of say 2004-5?. If you left your hometown in 1970,where have you been residing in those 25 odd intervening years?. I dont mean to pry,I`m just trying to understand the reasoning that you come up with.I think you have not been here long enough yet to see so much of the changes that some of us have seen. Might I respectfully suggest you visit Worthing`s reference library,look at the various local history books,in particular those books with photographs of the Worthing of pre 1960,then you may appreciate what I`m referring to. For my part you ask why I have remained in Worthing for what is now 65years if it is so bad?. Many reasons I suppose,a happy childhood, family, my children live hereabouts,friendships that have endured to this day from childhood,I`m comfortable within my own circle. I dont wish to explore other areas,my choice.
Joby
Friday, July 8, 2011 at 01:45 PM@ 14 .....I like Worthing ! That's why I came here to live. Why haven't you moved in the last 45 years if it's been so bad ? I left my home town in 1970 because it was horrible and expensive. It still is I may add. How long does a newby have to serve before acceptance ? I've only lived in Worthing 7 and a half years. Perhaps some sort of quaint civic ceremoney would be appropriate when we pass the 40 year marker ? Take note ol chap, Worthing is actually on the up no matter what some may say. Indeed, I'm looking forward to these developments so how about ditching your negative approach to Worthing and this continual undermining criticism to everything WBC Conservatives achieve.
frankly
Friday, July 8, 2011 at 12:33 PM@13 That`s a defeatist attitude Joby,Would you still feel as you do if Labour were in Government?.But then you are deemed to be still a newby in my book. I suspect it`s not Murdoch that recent governments have been in hock to, but various national housebuilding companies,along with Tescos. What attracted you to come and live here I wonder?
Joby
Friday, July 8, 2011 at 11:28 AM@ 12 .....sorry ol chap but you can long for the Worthing of your youth all you like. It's not coming back. As for the Durrington development, it's central government policy and that's that. The big difference is percentages of social housing. The Liberal-Democrats want up to 50% and the Conservatives want a maximum of 30%. Like most important decisions in life, it's a choice of evils so I'm accepting the lesser of the two.
frankly
Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 06:26 PM@10 Pretty much thefactsare,prettymuch! I long for the return of the Worthing of my youth I openly admit it. BUT when are you and your ilk going to face facts. Worthing is wedged twixt the sea and the downs and cant possibly take any more building especially on such a huge scale. It will only destroy that which people moved to the area to enjoy in the first place. I dont give a damn which political party is responsible for what or how long ago,as far as I am concerned a curse on the lot of them! What is so different regarding these proposals over the previous ones?. It still involves building on valuable green field resources. Cynical old me but could it be that Tesco having built their superstore now want the customers to fill it?
Joby
Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 05:24 PM@ 10 ......no, just recently he's been having a bad time trying to graduate as a senior member of the POOP party ! Party Of Official Protest ! Like it or not ol chap, Worthing is actually on the up after nearly 40 years of neglect and the residents don't need telling which political party has done it over the last 7 years. Now tell us what the Liberal-Democrats have done in those 7 years - absolutely nothing whatsoever. Personally I think the residents should be thanked for their enduring trust and longer term vision for the future.
pdy
Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 05:06 PM@9 You are wrong. The current proposals were not turned down by previously by Worthing Borough Counci - that was a different scheme. Are you a member of the BANANA party? (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything)
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