IT has been interesting to follow the many letters calling for Bournemouth to put in an outdoor lido on Pier Approach.
Readers might not know but Pontypridd, in the South Wales valleys, reopened their lido last year after being closed down and derelict for decades. So if a post-industrial high unemployment area like the Rhondda can organise a great outdoor lido, it is beyond me why a super-wealthy town, like Bournemouth, can’t likewise get in a large central pool.
And super-wealthy meaning just look at the number of hotels and cafes and restaurants and high fashion outlets in Bournemouth. There is huge income into the town and huge inward investment: the new cinema complex, the new Hilton. Hotels packed to bursting.
An entirely different planet to the Welsh valleys.
Bournemouth can well afford a central swimming complex. There is no question on this whatsoever. What council is saying, in Cllr Beesley’s recent letter, is a swimming complex is not profitable enough.
You can make far more profit out of cinemas, casinos, high end hotels, licensed bars, and so on.
In Bournemouth, commercial profit carries vastly more clout than people wanting access year-round to a central pool.
And this including so many with disabilities. Convenient access is the issue and why people want a central pool, not one miles out of town.
TONY PRYOR Charminister Road, Bournemouth
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