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VICTORY
IN POOL FIGHT
Labour chiefs planning Prince of Wales
baths rescue
A CAMPAIGN to save the Prince of Wales swimming baths in
Kentish Town is likely to win a partial success with Labour
councillors ready to save the pool, the New Journal can reveal.
The Town Hall caused a storm of protest last year when it said
it may not be able to meet the cost of repairing the dilapidated
Victorian building – then priced at between £17 million
and £26 million.
But Labour members have secretly discussed an 11th-hour rescue
package to refurbish the decaying swimming pool in Prince of
Wales Road. Information leaked to the New Journal reveals that
leisure chiefs are likely to be instructed to give up on their
dream of turning the baths into a deluxe leisure centre with
a host of new facilities, such as dance studios.
Instead, the Labour cabinet will order a stripped down scheme,
retaining two large pools and saving the building’s Victorian
façade.
The upgrade to the baths, which are prone to boiler breakdowns
and need urgent attention, is likely to cost around £12
million, a significant reduction from earlier designs. A party
insider said that the centre’s learner pool will be sacrificed
and some land is likely to be sold off at the back of the site
– but Labour chiefs are confident the new proposals will
douse the fiery row surrounding the centre’s future.
One source said: “The two main pools will be saved –
that’s what people really wanted. They didn’t want
a reduction in the size of the swimming pool, they didn’t
want a new facility with all the extras.”
The treasured baths have looked doomed since senior Labour councillors
admitted late last year that they were unsure about splashing
out on an expensive refurbishment plan.
Council officials even began researching the possibility of
building a new pool elsewhere, paving the way for the baths
to be sold off. Full details about the new plan will be published
in a council report, expected to be released on Tuesday, but
last night (Wednesday) the project was thought to already have
wide support amongst key Labour members and is almost certain
to get the go-ahead at cabinet meeting later this month.
On several occasions, councillors have been accused of abandoning
the pool and warned that their failure to guarantee its future
would come back to haunt them at May’s council elections.
Only last week Culture secretary Tessa Jowell, who lives in
Kentish Town, told the Town Hall to shape up and ensure swimming
provision for the community.
A Labour party insider said: “When the new leadership came
in, members said they weren’t happy with what was going
on and asked for it to be looked at again.”
The revelation of a last-minute salvage plan so close to the
elections will be seen as a humbling climbdown by rivals –
especially as Labour councillors had rigidly insisted that refurbishing
the baths could not be done for less than £17 million.
The Liberal Democrats were expected to reveal a plan on how
the pool could be refurbished within the council’s budget
next week. They will scrutinise the new plans but are already
questioning the lack of public consultation on the future of
the pool.
Philip Thompson, Save The Baths campaign organiser, expected
to stand for the Liberal Democrats in Kentish Town, said: “We
all remember (Labour lesuire chief) Cllr Phil Turner promising
that he would give us our turn to contribute to the decision
process in January 2006. But there has been absolutely no sign
of any consultation and now the decision is due to be made next
week. There is not even the pretence of a real consultation.” |
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