CAMPAIGNERS demanding Temple Cowley Pools is saved want to challenge Oxford City Council in the High Court.

The Save Temple Cowley Pools group is to apply for a judicial review of councillors’ decision to demolish the East Oxford complex to help pay for a new £9m swimming pool in Blackbird Leys.

The group has long argued the plans are a waste of money and leisure facilities should not be built outside Oxford’s ring road. Legal funds for the challenge will be raised from campaign supporters.

Campaigner Jane Alexander said: “The judicial review is based on challenging the decision to build at Blackbird Leys made in July.

“It was the wrong decision and there has been no consultation.

“There was no question asking whether people wanted to go to Blackbird Leys, or whether they would prefer Temple Cowley. People were not asked whether they would be able to get there, or how they felt about losing the gym and steam room.

“The consultation was non-existent. It was a laughing stock.”

She said the council’s business case for building the new pool was flawed.

Council documents viewed by campaigners under The Audit Commission Act 1998 showed maintenance of Temple Cowley Pools cost less than the £500,000 a year claimed by the city council.

She said accounts show last year’s maintenance bill was less than £250,000.

She said: “Saving Temple Cowley Pools is a much cheaper option than telling people to go elsewhere who are not going to.”

Meanwhile, 14 Blackbird Leys residents have applied to have the area of land slated to house the new swimming pool registered as a Town Green, blocking the development.

At a city council meeting last week, Pegasus Road resident William Clark told the Labour administration: “It is your intention to blight my neighbourhood with problems from increased flood risk, increased traffic flows, increased noise pollution, and a monstrous building obstructing us from enjoying what everyone else has as a right – a view of green grass.”

At the same meeting, a debate calling on Labour party councillors to resign over the Temple Cowley Pools closure – triggered by a petition of 1,637 signatures – was defeated.

Council spokesman Louisa Dean said the authority had “consistently” addressed concerns and comments.

She said: “To address this point again, the annual fee paid to Fusion to run Temple Cowley pool is £360,000.

“We have spent on average £110,000 per year on Temple Cowley over the past four years as the council holds the maintenance liabilities these costs are additional to the £360,000.

“A further cost are our client costs to support the contract which, when added in totals over £500,000 per year as being the budgeted cost of running Temple Cowley Pools.

“These costs exclude the maintenance backlog costs at Temple Cowley Pools, which are in excess of £2.3m.”