CRESTA: Residents protest against 'undemocratic' plans to close Chard swimming pool

Somerset County Council announced on July 11 that it would be looking to close the Cresta Leisure Centre on Zembard Lane by the end of the school summer holidays.

This prompted outcry from residents and patrons of the pool, who protested outside Shire Hall in Taunton ahead of a full council meeting on Wednesday morning (July 18).

The county council has said that no final decision will be made until the middle of August.

Councillor Amanda Broom, who led the protest, said the closure would be “absolutely devastating for the people of Chard” and criticised the lack of debate on the issue.

She said: “People who are not online and don’t rely on social media may not even know that this decision is likely to be made by the end of August.

“We should be doing everything in our power as a council to ensure that the facility is kept open and it’s there for our residents to use.”

Councillor Amanda Broom outside Shire Hall in Taunton

At a packed full council meeting, numerous members of the public slammed the council’s decision through questions submitted ahead of the meeting.

Jos Sartain described the decision as “undemocratic and socially exclusive”, and questioned the wisdom of closing the current pool before a replacement had been built.

He said: “The cost of public transport/ petrol to Crewkerne or Axminster pools, plus facility entry costs to these pools a few times per month, will exceed unlimited membership costs of these pools for residents of these towns.

“Will the council guarantee free regular travel to these towns, or free entry to these pools for Chard residents, until a replacement pool is built, to offset the extra costs that the closure of Chard pool will have on residents?”

A new swimming pool and leisure centre is planned for Chard under the regeneration scheme put forward by South Somerset District Council – but it may take several years for this to come to fruition.

Joan Knight call the closure “unforgivable” and said travelling further afield was not an option due to dwindling local bus services.

Fiona Bowen, secretary of the Somerset Amateur Swimming Association, said that the swimming clubs in Chard, Ilminster and Horton – which have around 350 members between them – had not been informed of the closure plans.

She said: “The shock is the extremely short notice being given and the lack of support and consideration given to the swimmers, and not least to the volunteers involved in the three local clubs who have worked tirelessly and with passion over many years to bring the skill and enjoyment of swimming to so many.”

Dan Glentworth, a teacher at Manor Court Primary School, launched an online petition against the closure on the campaigning site 38 Degrees, which has attracted more than 1,500 signatures.

He said: “How are we meant to meet the legal requirement to teach all of our pupils to swim 25 metres by the end of Year 6 if there is no swimming pool in the town?”

Nina Wagstaff, who coordinates PE at Avishayes Primary School, said her school currently spends £1,908 per year so that children could swim locally – and that there was no extra money to cover travel costs.

She said: “It is a statutory requirement as part of the national curriculum.

“All the other pools in the surrounding area are full, and the school has no money due to budget cuts to provide transport.”

Sylvia Seal, the district council’s portfolio holder for leisure and culture, said on July 11 that the council “will do what we can to support groups and clubs to find temporary alternative venues in south Somerset.”

The county council’s website lists the closure of Cresta Leisure Centre on its rolling list of forthcoming cabinet decisions.

The website said that a decision will be taken “not before August 14”, with the proposal being to “authorise the closure of the pool with effect from Monday, September 3, and to secure the site and subsequent demolition of the land.”

Councillor David Hall, cabinet member for economic development, planning and community infrastructure, said that an alternative partner had not been found to run the pool in place of 1610, citing the high maintenance costs.

He said: “I would point out to everyone that this pool has exceeded its expected lifespan by more than a decade.

“We appreciated that it has served the community well during that time, but projected maintenance costs have risen to such a level that it would need over £1M of investment to bring it back to a safe and acceptable standard.

“In the last seven years, we spent nearly £100,000 on the pool to keep it running, in addition to a facelift of around £100,000 spent in 2011.

“There are significant pressures on all local government finances, including those of the county council. We simply have to live within our means, and therefore we are unfortunately not in a position to meet these costs any longer.”