NEW OLYMPIC LENGTH POOL FOR ENGLAND CAPITAL
West London is set to build its first 50m pool in over 40
years after Hillingdon Council secured additional funding
to make it part of a new £22 million sports and leisure
complex.
The Olympic length pool, which has been under discussion
since late-1998, was given the go-ahead following a meeting
of the council's cabinet in July and has just received the
green light from Sport England, who have added a £1.5m
grant to a £2.025 million handout from the London Development
Agency (LDA).
The pool will be part of a brand new sports complex built
adjacent to the city's 50m grade II listed 1930s Uxbridge
open-air pool, which will also be refurbished as part of the
deal. The indoor pool will have a moveable floor and a moveable
boom to allow multiple uses of the facility. An athletics
stadium has already been completed on the site and was opened
by the Queen in May this year.
Once completed, the Hillingdon Sport and Leisure Centre will
boost the capital's 50m pool count to four, with a fifth pool
under construction at the Olympic park. However, this figure
still leaves London's 50m pool tally well below its European
counterparts - Paris boasts 18 pools for a population of nine
million while Berlin's five million residents have access
to 19 Olympic-length pools.
Nevertheless, the new pool does go some way to achieving
ASA Chief Executive David Sparkes' vision of a pool in each
quadrant of London.
"This is a critical part of building the infrastructure
for swimming in London to ensure a lasting legacy from 2012,"
he said. "The ASA set out its plans 10 years ago for
the provision of not less than four 50m pools in London although
more would always be welcome."
"With Crystal Palace now secured, the Olympic Aquatic
Centre on its way and Hillingdon confirmed, to complete the
strategic plan for swimming in London we now need a 50m facility
in the South East region of the capital."
And Sparkes is positive about the impact the new facility
will have on generating new swimming talent for London.
"Hillingdon is not only a stunning design, but considerable
thought has been given to how it will contribute to swimming
development in London. We have very few world class swimmers
emerging from the capital but Hillingdon, as part of the local
swimming strategy, will help to affect this change by ensuring
talent within the sport is identified, nurtured and developed.
"This new pool will meet the needs of the community
in many ways. We will be pushing to develop strong links with
local schools to ensure young children are introduced to swimming
at an early age and it will also play a vital role in addressing
the activity agenda in that region.
"The project has been realised thanks to the tremendous
support and understanding from all parties involved. It's
required a great deal of effort from Sport England, Hillingdon
London Borough Council, the London Development Agency, the
ASA and supporters Cllr Henry Higgins and Duncan Goodhew to
ensure this exciting 50m facility becomes a reality."
ASA Facilities Officer Noel Winter has been involved in discussions
around building a 50m pool in Hillingdon since the idea was
first raised in 1998.
"We are absolutely thrilled the Hillingdon pool has
finally been given the go-ahead," he said. "Because
the lido is being refurbished as part of the development,
the local community will have access to two 50m pools.
"The ASA congratulates Hillingdon Council for their
persistence and the way they've overcome hurdles to achieve
their vision.
"The pool will have multiple benefits, in particular
in the build-up to London 2012 and beyond. A 50m pool will
provide talented children in the area with the opportunity
to train for the Olympic distance, whilst flexible design
provides many uses for other users. Our most recent Olympic
champions have trained in 50m facilities, and access to these
is seen as key to Britain producing future medallists."
Cllr Henry Higgins, cabinet member for culture, sport and
leisure at Hillingdon Council, led the council's campaign
for the 50m pool and said:
"We are delighted that our aspirations for a 50m pool
will become a reality, something that we have been campaigning
for quite a while. It will be a great community asset.
"We are investing £22m into bringing the old Lido
back to life as well as providing a new purpose-built 21st
century facility for our residents, which will be a legacy
for our future generations hopefully some Hillingdon Olympic
champions. With this additional funding we can enhance our
plans and become one of the few places in London to have an
Olympic length pool.
"Our thanks go to everyone who showed their support
for this important development."
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