Swimming pool plan 'dead in water'

4:44pm Wednesday 16th January 2008

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PLANS for a £10.6 million town centre swimming pool and health centre at the University of Bolton look to be dead in the water.

Leading councillors say university chiefs are dragging their heels in making a decision to commit to the projects and are now looking at four alternative sites with the Bolton Primary Care Trust (PCT).

The 25-metre eight-lane pool at the Deane Road campus was approved by Bolton Council last October and would have been shared with the university.

Bolton town centre has been without a pool since the Water Place closed in 2002 with yearly debts of £750,000.

Health chiefs had considered building a diagnostic and treatment centre alongside the pool, including outpatient clinics, GP out-of-hours services, a minor injuries unit and rapid access clinics for problems such as chest pain.

But university vice chancellor Dr George Holmes, who had previously said the complex would be a "wonderful asset", said: "The university and its board, when considering the recently proposed joint development, had concerns over issues of principle and detail, which the council was not able to resolve in the timescale they and the PCT were working to."

Dr Holmes added that the university remained committed to continuing the discussions and was "mindful" of any initiative to boost facilities for its students and the town.

Deputy council leader, Cllr Linda Thomas, said: "Obviously, we're disappointed that the university's board has not yet given the level of commitment required to make the scheme a reality within the desired timescale.

"We have always felt that the university campus was an ideal site, as not only does it have the potential to accommodate a swimming pool together with a diagnostic treatment centre, but it would also provide facilities which benefit the university and its students."

Cllr Thomas said the council remained committed to providing a new town centre pool and would look again at other sites considered before the university emerged as the preferred site.

Councillors would not reveal the location of the four sites now under consideration, but it believed that they include land around Breightmet Street and Chorley Street.

Executive member for development, Cllr Ebrahim Adia added that he did not expect any significant delay to the project and said he hoped construction would still begin during the 2008/09 financial year.

He added that he was confident the specifications of the pool would not be affected if another site is chosen and that the facility would still be one of which Bolton could be proud.

The pool would include seating for 250 spectators and would meet Amateur Swimming Association standards, enabling it to host regional swimming events.

The complex would also include a fitness suite but is is thought proposals for 600 square metres of sports science laboratories for students and a refurbished university sports hall, are now unlikely to feature.

They would have been funded by £1.4 million of university cash but the council's £9.25 million contribution to the scheme is unlikely to be affected.

Chief executive of the PCT, Tim Evans, said: "We're working hard with the council to identify the best possible site for our diagnostic treatment and urgent care centre and we are still hoping to combine this with council sports and leisure facilities."