A plea to continue with plans for new swimming pool at Maryport’s Wave Centre will be heard by leading councillors at a meeting next week.
The executive of the new Cumberland Council is due to meet in Carlisle next Tuesday, April 25 and there are two items on its agenda relating to the Wave Centre on Irish Street.
Plans for a new swimming pool were submitted as part of the successful £11.6 million Future High Streets Fund bid – and the new council will discuss the Wave behind closed doors at the meeting tomorrow.
It is not known what they will discuss – but the agenda item is of a financial or business nature and means that the public are excluded from that portion of the meeting.
It is feared that spiralling costs of the overall project – which has already seen plans to transform Empire Yard into a ‘market and arts space’ abandoned by the executive of Cumberland Council’s predecessor Allerdale – will spell the end for the swimming pool scheme.
Earlier on the agenda, a submission from an unnamed member of the public – although they say they are a ‘lifelong member of the Labour Party’ urges councillors to continue backing the swimming pool.
The submission says: “Maryport does not have a swimming pool. For a coastal town with a long maritime history, I find this to be absolutely appalling. Children in the Maryport area need to learn to swim and people need a facility available locally which they can use regularly. The chances of someone drowning are greatly enhanced when they have not learned to swim as a child.”
Maryport’s previous swimming pool was at Netherhall School, but closed five years ago.
The submission said: “This was due to the requirement for major work and Cumbria County Council informing Netherhall School that it would be unable to fund the repairs needed. It caused outrage in the Maryport community.”
A group was set up after a public meeting, which became a registered charity with plans to apply for funding to build a pool – a feasibility study for transforming part of the Wave Centre was developed.
It became part of the Future High Streets Fund bid, which also included transforming Christ Church into the new home of Maryport Maritime Museum and turning the Carlton Cinema into an arts, events and performance centre.
The submission said: “In consulting with the community on proposed developments which could be included in a prospective bid for funding from the Government, the provision of a swimming pool in Maryport was the most requested outcome….The project was given the full backing of Allerdale council.
“I understand that, with the increase in energy costs, the viability of the scheme is under question. I ask that the council considers the savings made from the cancelled Empire Yard project in Maryport and transfers it, not to the Christ Church and Carlton projects, but to the Wave project.
“I ask that the executive gives its full support to its provision.”
