Lib Dems seek Trop pool plan consensus

10.41.51am GMT Fri 18th Dec 2009

Weston's Tropicana could be turned into an all-year-round taxpayer-funded pool if the £10million plan of a group of town politicians is realised.

The dilapidated seafront building can be converted into an indoor and outdoor swimming facility at an annual cost to the public of £230,000, according to six Liberal Democrats.

They say the failure of Henry Boot and Mace's schemes prove only a council-led development will solve the problem.

Weston Town Council's Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Mark Canniford said: "If the private sector won't build in the town then we must show that we have confidence in the town and develop it ourselves."

Their vision is for a single-storey building to take up the whole of the current site, including a partly-covered 800sq m pool with restaurants, cafes and health facilities.

The town council would manage the pool and could choose to bring in a partner company with specialist leisure experience.

To revamp the building on its existing site North Somerset Council would pay £6.125million, with private sector developments contributing £2.875million and Weston Town Council taking out a £1million loan.

Companies would be offered half the site for long-term lease, while the unitary authority's input would come from the sale of assets, including housing stock.

By cutting items like cemetery chapel repairs and scrapping newsletters, the group say they can save £186,000 from the town council's budget.

In addition, £330,000 would be gained by merging senior management positions at the unitary authority, scrapping councillor pensions and doing away with North Somerset Life magazine.

The two amounts would be combined to subsidise the pool and contribute to a refurbishment that, if needed, would take place every five years.

The men behind the plan are Cllr Canniford, South Worle councillors Gully Hayer, Chris Howell and Edward Keating, the unitary authority's former executive member for strategic planning John Crockford-Hawley and the party's prospective parliamentary candidate for Weston Mike Bell.

Mr Bell said: "This is not a party political issue and we need to draw a consensus.

"None of the political parties have ever got to grips with the Tropicana or solved the problem.

"What we don't want to do is repeat the same mistakes of the past."

Cllr Keating has asked that a motion to back the plan be included in January's meeting of North Somerset Council.