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George Tardios is unhappy with the Swiss Cottage swimming pools |
‘Rotten’ state of problem pools
Catalogue of complaints at malfunctioning state-of-the-art swimming facilities
THE two swimming pools at Swiss Cottage have been closed for a combined period of 121 days since the flagship leisure centre opened three years ago.
Figures released to the New Journal under the Freedom of Information Act show the multi-
million pound building has seen the large pool and the teaching pool break down eight times.
Meanwhile, the air conditioning system in the gym had to be almost completely replaced. It was out of action for three weeks while new parts were found.
In a list of malfunctions, the showers have suffered breakdowns and the roof also needed to be fixed after it started leaking.
George Tardios, 65, uses the leisure centre every week and called it “rotten”.
“What upsets me is this was built as a state of the art sports centre, which this is supposed to be, and it isn’t,” he said. “From the day it opened, everything has been going wrong and nobody seems able to fix it.”
Mr Tardios, an actor from Primrose Hill, said his main criticism regarded the showers, which he says went from scalding hot to freezing cold during summer.
He said: “The old pool was sold off and they got the concession to build flats on the condition that they build this.
“It looks good superficially but underneath it’s rotten. The people that use it are freezing in the shower and the pool smells.”
Among 28 complaints have been logged since the centre opened, several people complained about the faulty showers and the “drainlike” smell of the pool, according to papers seen by the New Journal.
Of the 30 complaints released in the FoI, some expressed concerns about the quality of
service offered by staff at the centre, describing it as “officious” and inefficient.
Another three focused on the poor state of the building, criticising the length of time it took to repair fixtures and fittings such as broken lockers and cubicle locks and flaking walls in the swimming pool.
Others described the general level of cleanliness and tidiness around the building as “poor”.
A council press officer said: “Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre is a large, multi-purpose building and a very popular centre that currently has more than 15,000 visitors every week.
“It is therefore inevitable that this heavy usage will, from time to time, result in the need for minor repairs to the building and the leisure centre equipment.
“Swiss Cottage leisure centre is an excellent leisure facility, providing a valuable service for many Camden residents and in 2008 was rated as the best leisure centre in London by Time Out.” |
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