Waterworld Up For Closure – Possible New Facility
-
Posts
-
A report is up for scrutiny on Wednesday that proposes closure of Waterworld – with a new £12,000,000 facility being build as a replacement. However there are questions over if it will be right away or not:
More:
https://www.wrexham.com/news/consultants-council-close-plas-madoc-replace-waterworld-39267.htmlA replacement could be on the Crown Buildings site, so that area of town could change quite alot.
The full report is here: https://www.wrexham.com/goto/https://www.wrexham.gov.uk/MinutesData/HomesEnvCom/Reports/haed5913s.pdf including the powerpoint style presentation from the consultants.
Close two facilities and borrow an additional 12 million pounds to build a new one. Interest payments on such a loan alone, at say 4%, would be £480,000 per year before any capital repayment.
This seems to be the ideal solution at a time of austerity. Will provide space for a couple of new supermarkets though.
It’s interesting to see how Cultural and leisure shifts have impacted on the Borough. The 1970’s are not the 2013’s and there have been massive changes in people’s activity habits from this time. You only have to look at how the pub industry has been decimated by the changing trends to see how people are requiring a much more diverse and modern range of things offered to them to get them to part with their time and money nowadays.
Many youngsters never see the inside of swimming baths until they go to Tenerife and 18 year olds seem to think that sport is something that you do on a Wii or an X-Box. Changing times.
The Report is predictable and probably very sensible. The two facilities do not relate to the needs of 2013 whilst some more modern integrated alternative might well do so. It does seem obvious that in a time of shrinking use (overall) it might be better to integrate the public sector offer and try to put it as close to the heart of the borough as possible.
What does worry me is not so much the proposals but the horrible feeling that the Council might well choose to scrap the provision and take the savings rather than continue the existing Waterworld provision until there is funding available. Is there no possible link up with Wrexham FC or Glyndwr that might develop?
Although I don’t go too often, whenever I have visited Plas Madoc, it has always appeared very busy to me. I think that I preferred Waterworld before they changed it but then I am old fashioned.
@Alunh 10755 wrote:
Many youngsters never see the inside of swimming baths until they go to Tenerife and 18 year olds seem to think that sport is something that you do on a Wii or an X-Box. Changing times.
Its funny then that there is a waiting list to get on council run swimming lessons.
Did the 1997 refurb of the baths to “waterworld” not repair the building issues? The pool etc was totally re-built so I wonder if that wasn’t done well?
The worry I think is that all the facilities close and then there is a funding or other delay which leaves the town with nothing. Not trying to be crtical but WCBC have a very poor record on getting developments done (not always totally there fault/in their control admittedly ). I know the report says to leave waterworld open while building something else, but with the budget the way it is….
Can I also say in my personal experience that when a council subs out the management of leisure facilities the prices rise and the standards fall – where I have been based down south the borough subbed out to these people: About DC Leisure – DC Leisure – all they care about is their profit margins – prices shot up, service levels went down. For example, an exercise class is almost £9 and Monthly membership is £55 – huge increases from the “council” prices, with less investment tbh.
Not good all round for me.
If the council were to get funding for a new centre to replace waterworld then they need to do something different than your standard pool and a slide. We need somewhere families and people of all ages can go and enjoy themselves and which will attract visitors to wrexham.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
