I WAS interested to read Nigel Gibson’s letter (June 17) about the environmental cost of Temple Cowley Pool.

However interesting, though, I’m afraid his theoretical numbers don’t correspond to real-world possibilities.

Let’s remember the one solid fact that Temple Cowley Pools used the equivalent of 741 tonnes of carbon last year. Mr Gibson contends that the actual swimming pool on its own would use far less.

So it would, but to accomplish that we would have to take the pool out of the inefficient building it’s in and move it into a new one with state of the art energy supply and insulation.

That, of course, is in effect what the council is doing.

Moving the pool just 10 minutes up the road allows us to make it environmentally and financially sustainable for decades to come. It also allows us to provide a new, shared-use gym in the Temple Cowley area and a fully-integrated modern leisure centre with a new competition pool, learning pool, splash pool, spectator area, café and other great facilities like the Ollie’s World play centre I had the pleasure of opening last Friday.

Seeing the delight on the young children’s faces was wonderful and I’m sure people of all ages will be equally delighted when the new pool opens at the turn of the year.

MIKE ROWLEY (Labour Cllr), Barton and Sandhills Ward, Oxford City Council Board Member for Leisure and Community Grants


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