I was at the recent Stakeholders' Meeting on the pools and thought it might be useful to represent the discussion as far as possible.

We were shown PowerPoint slides of the current pools design very similar to those shown in the recent exhibition by the the architects, Roberts Limbrick. If I had a copy I would post it on here, but I can give a brief verbal description.

The superintendent's blcok is retained more or less unchanged (on the outside). The new pools building wraps around it to the West and North. The building will have two entrances at ground level. The North entrance is across a new path cutting through some of the lawn of Kingswear House and the old pocket park. The North side will also have a seating area for the cafe. This entrance will provide level access. The East side (in front of the old building) will have an entrance and exit which can be used by coaches, provision for bicycle storage, access for plant and a disabled parking space. There is then a wheelchair ramp replacing the old steps to the doors in the old facade.

On the ground floor, there is a learner pool to the South and the main pool to the North, with the changing area in between. The changing area features single sex group changing rooms and a small changing village. The design has a cubic block to the North which, at ground floor level contains a cafe. There is a long "mall" joining the North and East entrances, with a reception area. The ground floor of the old block is mainly occupied by toilets (male, female and disabled), the reception area (which will overlook both entrances) and offices. This floor has lifts and stairs to the first floor. There is further plant located at the rear of the building on the gorund floor, in the existing basement of the old building, on the first and second floors of the new cube and on the second floor of the new cube.

The first floor has a "mall" similar to downstairs, although the North end has a community room seating about 30 people or so). The area above the changing area is taken by the gym, which is quite large (50 stations of machines I think). There is a small and large studio (for dance and so on), above the learner pool, which can be joined using a sliding partition. The area above the main pool is empty, as this pool hall is double height.

The North and South elevations of the building will be glazed with a mixture of transparent glass and a translucent material lower down. The "wavy roof" form of the Allies and Morrison design has been retained and the main pool hall features some roof lighting. There is a new feature in the form of the cube referred to above, which sits on the North East corner of the building. This has plant in the basement, first and second floors and a cafe at ground floor level.

If I have got the dates right, the Council were hoping to apply for planning permission tomorrow. The trees in the pocket park have already been cut down and demolition work on the old pool halls will start any day now, with hoardings going up and some features of the old building being removed to keep and asbestos being removed.