The club which trains the district’s elite swimmers has poured cold water on a plan to build a city centre pool saying that at 25 metres long it will be too small to attract competitions.
The City of Bradford Swimming Club is behind the success of swimmers such as 2012 Olympic hopeful Sian Morgan.
Nearly 100 members of the club currently train at four pools across the district and hold two competition events a year at Shipley Pool – which is 25 metres.
It says the best way to attract swimmers from far and wide would be to create a 50 metre competition pool, similar to a new pool in Leeds.
Kath Bonson, a committee member at the club, said: “What would make a difference would be if the proposal was for a 50m competition pool with a retractable boom which would allow it to be split into two.
“These days the most important competitions, such as the Nationals and Olympics, take place in 50m pools and there is a significant shortage of them.
“This layout would also offer significantly improved flexibility; with the boom up there could be club or swimming lesson activities in one half and public access in the other – with it down you could have 50 metre training and lane swimming at the same time.
“The addition of a large diving pool would give extra options again – as well as making it viable for major competitions – at which point you probably would get other clubs coming in to hire it – and even becoming a training camp venue for 2012.”
She said the club’s elite swimmers are in need of regular 50 metre training but find it difficult to get an occasional slot at the nearest pools in Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester, never mind a regular time.
While the pool at Shipley is not flat bed and only six lane, it is sufficient for the open competitions they run at the moment, she added.
“Adding an extra two lanes would mean that we could accommodate slightly more swimmers but would not really make much of a difference. It would not mean that we would put on any extra competitions each year and I cannot see clubs from other areas using the pool for competitions as they will all have 25 metre pools.”
She also said that while a 50 metre pool would not negate the arguments about the loss of local facilities – it would be a much more effective solution.
“We greatly appreciate the support that the Council does give to swimming in Bradford and realise changes are needed to some of the older pools but we are disappointed that, as significant users of the area’s pools and apparently a key element in the justification for the proposed new pool, the local swimming clubs were not included in consultations,” she added.
Councillors agreed on Tuesday to examine how to finance the building of three new pools in the district – in Bingley, Bradford South and city centre.
It follows a review into the district’s sport and leisure facilities by consultants which advised closing four pools, in Bingley, Manningham and Queens-bury as well as Richard Dunn Sports Centre and creating an eight-lane 25 metre pool in the city centre.
In the face of mounting pressure from the T&A’s Save Our Swimming campaign, the Council said it did not agree with the consultants’ recommendations and would look at building three, although it did not totally rule out closures.
The Council was not able to provide a comment on the issue.
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