Crisis talks on swimming pool plan

Feb 13 2007 By David Bell, Birmingham Mail

CRISIS talks are to be held next month on whether to go ahead with an Olympic-sized 50m swimming pool in Birmingham.

The £50 million project, booked for a car park near Aston University's Jennens Road complex, has already been delayed more than six months.

City leaders, university authorities, Sports England and Advantage West Midlands are to meet next month to see if the cash can be raised.

An early decision is critical if Birmingham is to persuade either the Chinese or American teams to use the city as a pre-Olympics training camp for the 2012 London Games.

But Labour leisure spokesman Penny Holbrook predicted the city would lose out again because of faltering council leadership.

"As yet there is no plan and no money, and the city's sports and leisure budget is being cut by another £1 million next year.

"Our partners at the university are getting increasingly frustrated. Our young people are becoming increasingly obese, there have been huge increases in the cost of sports and leisure facilities and Birmingham has no hope of being champion Olympic city.

"We might as well give the title of second city to Manchester now."

Cabinet leisure chief Ray Hassall meanwhile is grappling with the financial problems of just keeping the city's current network of 17 swimming pools open.

"We're facing some massive bills because they have all been neglected for so long like in Harborne and Wyndley where I'm spending £700,000," he said. "They all need big money while this Olympic pool project will cost me £1.2 million in running costs."

He has problems at Moseley baths, too , where the estimate of repairs to the listed building is £17 million.

"It is all right for people to jump up and down, but I am doing my best not have to close the pools we have got," he said.