Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Published: 6 September 2007
It’s important to get things right for the baths
• THE Kentish Town Baths Users’ Group was set up by Camden Council so that residents and users could be included in the proposed plans and ideas for the redevelopment. The group consists of extremely well informed members who take seriously the fact that they are there to represent all users. At these meetings members put forward their views and these are discussed with the councillors, Camden’s officers and architects. Recently there has been a lot of controversy and discontent regarding the proposals for the changing facilities and after much publicity Camden is reviewing the ideas put forward by the architects. As a huge amount of money is being spent on the renovation works it is important to get things right so that whatever is in place will be valid for the next 50 years.
When the users’ group was first established I asked Camden Council not to be bamboozled into something it didn’t want by the architects. I also stated that we do not want state-of-the-art, highfalutin’ facilities but something that will be practical, sensible and comfortable for users for years to come. I was swimming competitively at Kentish Town baths in the late 1950s and remember well the first closure for refurbishment. Those works have lasted for nearly 50 years and the time has now come for the second refurbishment that will hopefully last for a long time and will be suitable for all.
As a lifelong resident of Kentish Town and someone who has had the honour to not only learn to swim there but go on to represent my county as a highly competitive swimmer and become very involved and passionate about swimming, how privileged I feel to be included by the council in every step of its plans. This council is prepared to listen to members on the users’ group, many of whom have expert knowledge in the field of architecture and planning.
Apart from listening to what people have to say on issues such as the changing facilities it is also prepared to back down and change things and for that I am extremely grateful. At the end of the day all people want is an excellent centre that can be used by anyone in order to get the very best out of it. What we don’t want is another Clissold Leisure Centre fiasco which to date has cost Hackney tax payers at least £41 million and is standing idle and redundant because Hackney Council would not listen to people in the know. How fortunate we are that Camden is prepared to listen and act. BRENDA HUMPHREYS
chair London Schools’
Swimming Association
Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.
