Fr, Feb 8, 2008Mayor makes a U-turn on Forest Hill Pool
When two years ago, following a lengthy and extensive consultation, Mayor Bullock had said that Forest Hill Pools would have been refurbished, many in Lewisham celebrated, some cynics thought "I believe it when I see it".
Fast forward two years and the Mayor decides that the Victorian complex of Forest Hill Pools will be demolished to make way for a new pool. Further analysis done by the consultants for Lewisham Council show that the refurbishment would be too risky. Two years ago this was not clear to them.
Together with the pools the adjacent Louise House will also be redeveloped. Receipts from the sale of the land for housing will offset the cost of the new pool.These are two historical buildings standing next to the listed library and many in Forest Hill will surely oppose this decision. The fact that the proposed replacement is a more limited provision than the current Victorian Pool is another reason for discontent.
On the other side of the argument a modern pool will surely be a facility that gives a much higher guarantee of being there tomorrow and the day after. The current provision, given the unwillingness of the Council to invest in a program of repair and maintenance, has stood for years on the brink of closure by neglect until two years ago the beams of the roof were declared unsafe and the pool closed for real leaving he area bereft of this key asset.
This closure was supposed to bring forward the refurbishment, only that the day of the start of the works never arrived, what arrived is a Mayoral U-turn.
Read here (link) the full report on Forest Hill Pools for the Mayor and Cabinet meeting of 13th February 2008.
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