Pool upgrade work delayed (From Gazette & Herald)

Pool upgrade work delayed

MUCH-NEEDED improvements at a North Yorkshire swimming pool are set to go ahead - but users must wait another three months.

Visitors to Derwent Pool, in Norton, have been waiting for work to go ahead since Ryedale District Council earmarked £240,000 earlier this year to improve the male and female changing rooms there.

Many of the lockers do not fasten securely, a door has been missing from the male changing rooms and the floors are in a poor state of repair.

But setbacks in the scheme mean that essential refurbishment will not now start until the autumn.

Ryedale District Council's property manager Dave Summers admitted: "We are aiming for the first week in October.

"We had hoped to start earlier, but we ran into a few problems with the Disability Discrimination Act.

"Obviously, we are hoping to achieve compliance for the pool by installing facilities such as the lift."

Mr Summers said that because of the changing levels of the site, there had been complications in the plans to create a lift, allowing easier access for wheelchair-bound users.

He said he realised swimmers had been very patient while they waited for better facilities.

"We are very aware that the changing rooms - particularly the men's - are in a poor state," he said.

"We have been doing our best to patch things and keep it going, with the expectation of the work starting in October."

Although funding is in place for the work to start, Mr Summers said the decision had been taken to keep the facility open during the busy holiday period.

Derwent Pool is expected to be shut for six weeks while the work progresses.

Councillor Howard Keal said it was a relief to see the improvement scheme was soon to start.

"It is extremely welcome that investment is being made in upgrading the pool - it's clearly what's desperately needed," he said.

"It will be necessary to continue to maintain the pool before the work has been carried out to establish whether that maintenance work is enough, or whether more needs to be done.

"In the meantime, what I would like to see is a focus in the cleaning regime to achieve higher standards now so that we can see immediate improvements."

Updated: 12:47 Saturday, July 12, 2003