I AM writing further to the recent article in the Bolton Evening News about the council proposals to build a 25metre swimming pool on the site of The Water Place.

I assume that this proposal has been made to try to appease the thousands of residents that have been, quite rightly, upset by the closure of The Water Place.

The council seems to have forgotten that one of the main advantages of building The Water Place on the outskirts of the town centre was that, in its heyday, it attracted thousands of customers from outside of Bolton. Many of these customers would visit the town centre after their swim, to shop, or have something to eat. This created additional revenue for businesses and benefited the local economy.

If the council did spend millions of pounds on building a new 25metre pool, this type of facility would only serve to attract local people and would be a drain on council resources. It would do nothing to aid the local economy in Bolton, and it would be a waste of a prime town centre location.

In the past couple of months, there have been a number of articles in the Bolton Evening News regarding the council's search for a private sector partner to invest in the maintenance of the council's other leisure centres. Judging by the amount of money needed, the private sector partner will have to have very deep pockets.

However, aside from deep pockets, it is also imperative that the council appoints a private sector partner that has the experience, vision and flair to develop sustainable leisure facilities.

I am sure that the private sector would not settle for building a 25metre swimming pool on the site of The Water Place. We need a multi-purpose, profit making facility that makes the best use of a prime town centre location.

Geoffrey Tabern

Delph Avenue

Egerton

Bolton