DECISIONS will soon be taken by Bromsgrove District councillors on replacing Dolphin Leisure Centre.

An examination of the building in 2009 gave its lifespan end of between 2016 and 2019.

When it was built in1964, Bromsgrove had been without a public swimming pool since the closure of the open air swimming baths in Watt Close, in 1939, so after 50 years of use can we look forward to an impressive replacement leisure centre?

At April’s full Bromsgrove District Council meeting we learned the replacement cost of £13.5 million had already been reduced by £1.5 million and it has to be self funding.

Yet looking back to 2010, when Bromsgrove Council demolished the 15-year-old Market Hall because they said it was losing money, and the site still undeveloped; how can we be confident they will build a new leisure centre before the present one is closed – that will be a success and self funding?

We were told that a “task group” of councillors are finding out what leisure facilities are needed in Bromsgrove and that Bromsgrove District Council need to borrow £16 million over the next 10 years; so will cost determine what Bromsgrove gets rather than what it needs?

The present leisure centre has 75,000 visits per year using its main pool, which is 25m by 13m, with six swimming lanes, that is ideal for serious swimmers, and a depth from 0.9m to 3.5m, that caters for young swimmers at the shallow end and diving and underwater swimming at the other – as required by the sub-aqua diving group; hence the importance of ensuring that a new pool is no smaller than the present one.

As well as a children’s learner pool, why not also put in two tall and long water flumes in its design to make it popular and draw people into Bromsgrove? That would help guarantee its popularity and success.

A small uninspiring replacement leisure centre with higher fees and fewer concessions would be difficult to promote without losing money.

Now is the time to make the right decisions and take this once in a lifetime opportunity to invest in what could be a great success.

Let’s put Bromsgrove on the map of places worth coming to, bringing people and business to the town and make a real impact on the regeneration of the town centre.

Malcolm Guest The Flats Bromsgrove