On saturday 21 March, members of the Save Victoria Baths Campaign were out in the Market Square collecting signatures on their petition to the council.

They say it is getting towards crunch time - Tuesday 7th April 2009 - when Nottingham City Council's Executive Board will vote on which of the three design options for the new Victoria Leisure Centre they'll develop.

They fear that the Council are firmly behind Option C which offers the least amount of facilities and will see virtually all of the building destroyed! The campaign is urgently asking people to write to or visit their councillors to ask them to support Option A, which offers the most facilities for the cheapest cost and is the most environmentally friendly of the three designs.

The options all include new buildings on the current site of the leisure centre with the historic clock tower retained. However, they all propose a smaller facility with no sports hall. The land freed up would be used for residential development in two of the designs and has an unspecified use in a third.

Mat Anderson, campaign group chairman, said he suspected the designs proposed were drawn up to increase the opportunity for developers.

He said: "It is all so pointless. The council has gone it in their heads to use this as a way of levering in regeneration. The community is just interested in the leisure centre. It is disingenuous for the council to hijack community preference for its own aims."

SAVE VICTORIA BATHS CAMPAIGN'S AIMS ARE:

* To preserve as much as possible of the original building and functions, especially the important historical elements of the existing building and respectfully incorporate these into any new facilities
* Provide a minimal gap in leisure provision for the east of the city while the new facilities are built
* Ensure that this investment provides a high quality, long-term and sustainable solution with the potential to service the east of the city for another 100 years to come

Our position is based on an extensive survey of local people conducted in May - November 2008 to find out exactly what facilities they would like to see in the new leisure centre and what parts of the existing building they would like to see retained. 646 people completed the survey, which was launched at the Free Fun Day at Victoria Leisure Centre and Sneinton Market on Saturday 31 May 2008. Our position is also based on the Nottingham City Council's own Tell Us Your Views survey.


Nottingham City Council Postpones Victoria Pool Closure
 http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2008/03/394394.html

Victoria Leisure Centre Public Meeting to Oppose Closure
 http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2008/03/392728.html

Council Under Fire From Campaign To Save Leisure Centre {Feature]
 http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2008/02/391928.html

Save Victoria Baths from closure, Demo at the Council House
 http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2008/02/391902.html

Council propose to shut Victoria Baths, Sneinton
 http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2008/02/391295.html

Future of Victoria Leisure Centre :: Nottingham City Council Page:
 http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3181


e-mail:  info@savevictoriabaths.org.uk
Campaign:  http://www.savevictoriabaths.org.uk

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ALAN LODGE
Photographer - Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham. UK
Email:  tash@indymedia.org
Member of the National Union of Journalists [No: 014345]
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"It is not enough to curse the darkness.
It is also necessary to light a lamp!!"
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