WORK has started at the old Kinson swimming baths site to provide a new green amenity for nearby residents.

Located in Kinson Road, the swimming baths were closed in 2010, with the site remaining boarded and deserted until only recently.

Now work has begun to clear the site and ‘green’ it over and tidy up that part of the park to provide a local amenity for residents in the area where they can go to exercise or walk their dog.

Kinson councillor Laurence Fear says he has been calling for development of the site for years and has told the Echo, “residents are excited about the new work” with the “tidying of the area.”

He said: “It's a rarity for a new green amenity and it's a real positive for residents of Kinson.”

Upon the most recent election campaign the Kinson ward councillor made it clear it was one of his priorities to address the situation with the swimming baths.

Speaking with the Echo Cllr. Fear added: “I’m very proud to get it done. Taking this issue seriously it's near the top of the list and I wanted it to be started in this term that I have.

The plan is for the current work to be completed within the next few weeks, depending on how it progresses, before meeting again several months down the line with residents.

At which point the local councillors will ask locals “what the community wants because they are the ones that use it.”

The councillor said: “Let’s get together (with residents) in 12-16 months time to see what it could use, it could be a bench, a park or more bins. I want residents to have that conversation.

“I can’t promise anything but I will continue to work with residents because it's been neglected for too long.”

Cllr. Fear told the Echo how he had previously lobbied for change at the site for years having been the councillor for Kinson North which meant the land was just out of his jurisdiction - despite impacting many of his residents.