CAMPAIGNERS hoping to save Temple Cowley Pools say they are confident of success as the clock ticks down on the site’s protected status.

Discussions are now under way between the Save Temple Cowley Pools group and Oxford City Council over a sale of the site, with just under four weeks left to submit a bid.

In July the campaign group accused the city council of using “delaying tactics” and hampering its bid, but Nigel Gibson, one of the campaign leaders, said discussions have now started.

The Temple Road pool has been put up for sale by the city council, which it says is beyond repair.

But the building has since been listed as a community asset, meaning the sale has been put on hold for six months until October 7, to allow the Save Temple Cowley Pools campaign to put a bid together for the site.

Mr Gibson said: “We are still awaiting some more information, which is disappointing, but we have a much clearer idea of what we need to do now and our discussions are also progressing with potential partners.

“We are very confident we can deliver the value that the council needs to be able to recognise our bid.

“We are further on than we were before, but there are still a number of things we need to discuss.

“Certainly I think the city council has recognised the merit in discussing things in more detail with us and for that we are very appreciative.”

Mr Gibson said the group has been in discussions with the council for about four weeks, but he declined to say how much the group is planning to bid or to reveal who the group’s potential partners were.

He said it was in discussions with a range of bodies – including developers and charities – and citied a non-disclosure agreement with the council as the reason he could not reveal which organisations they were.

Campaigners have drawn up designs that they believe would mean the pool could stay open and the city council’s requirement of 26 homes on the site could be met.

The council says it has a maintenance backlog at Temple Cowley Pools of £2.3m and is spending £500,000 a year just to keep it open.

City council leader Bob Price said: “The group has a right to bid under the community asset procedure and we will be making a decision based on the criteria we have set out.”

A spokesman for Oxford City Council said the council had not “delayed opening negotiations” with the community group and had provided answers to its questions.

He added: “The pool site will be sold to the tenderer whose offer meets the Council’s requirements most satisfactorily.

“All the tenders received will be considered by the City Executive Board in November, and a decision made.

“There is no ‘asking price’ as such, as this is an open market tendering process.”

 

 

 

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.