Although the mayor and cabinet report is not yet available, the report to public accounts select committee is now available which includes the need to consider:

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/...Report.PDF

Certainly great news if Olympic funding can be used to push forward the DR option in that timescale!

The bit posted above in the Public Accounts Select Committee report - is that the cost difference between DR and WW or DR with or without Olympic funding?

Sorry - no time to read the report myself!!

nothing to do with Olympic funding. Lewisham council has found some money down the back of the sofa.

The extra ?2.9m is the additional cost to start building on Dartmouth Road today. It will provide a better leisure centre than on Willow Way and will allow for Willow Way to be sold off for employment in the future.

Having investigated Willow Way planning options, I believe that most of that ?2.9m could potentially be recouped by building a high quality live/work development on the site. But this would be done best with a change of planning guidance for the site and waiting for a change in market conditions.

As you do "oops, there's that ?2.9m, that I coundn't find yesterday!"

What on earth???

I couldn t care less even if they found the extra funding stashed under someone's mattress. This appear to be good news. Thanks Michael.

Good news Michael if DR back in the frame.

Must admit a bit cynical about living and working units in this part of the world. Cannot see who would buy. Have The Printhouse units all sold and if so have they sold to genuine work units??

mayor and cabinet report out now:

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/councilanddem...202009.htm

Check out Item 5 Forest Hill Pools: http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/...ly2009.PDF

and Item 5, appendix A - the full report from the consultants:
http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/...ly2009.PDF

Before we all get excited the Mayor still has to make the decision on the day.

I suspect that this third option was in the frame all the time but for various political and associated reasons an elaborate game had to be played to enable this to be seriously factored into the equation. Perhaps the much maligned consultation did the job after all. I can think of a few possible scenarios and situations that might have led to this but will keep these to myself for the time being!

I fully realise that the Mayor actually has to make that decision but in the meantime and just because it is even an option in the report

HOOORRRAAAYYYYYY!

and that's what's so infuriating! Years ago the mayor could have said ***** to all this time wasting - we've got the money, people of Forest Hill want their pools in good working order, lets get the job done now!

How much time and money has been spent on these pointless consultations? Think councillors time cost per hour, distribution, telephone calls, database creation, analysis, print etc. All for the playing of an elaborate game! Fantastic.

If this really was an "elaborate game" that had to be played out then we've just wasted three years and at least ?300,000 of taxpayer's money.

Looks like more of an attempt by you to desperately align yourself with the new reality and scrape the egg off your face if you ask me!

I think we have to consider how things really work in local politics and how opposition has to be anticipated and tactics adopted accordingly. All politicians do it, some better than others, but from professional experience local politics and major capital spend decisions rarely follow a straight line. If Steve had immediately and openly supported the retention of DR I suspect his many political opponents would have capitalised on this, and have been accused of self serving actions
( after all he lives in FH and has done so for a long time) and he would probably not have got ( he still hasn't I know) the support from other Councillors of all parties needed to get things through, as money spent here may well be taken from other parts of the borough and other budgets. It is only a theory but I am beginning to see, if one adopts a Machievellian mindset, how this may have all been part of the Bigger Plan. The Consultation therefore may have enabled all of this to happen. If so, then its surely money well spent if its ratified the actions that many people seemed to want.

I agree that things should have been done a lot earlier, but the money had to come from somewhere, and a lot of resources were dedicated into keeping the increasingly dilapidated pool open in the absence of a capital funding pot. If he can pull it off on 17th, he'll have done well for Forest Hill.

Oh dear. Shall we revisit the old issue of the time and cost consequences of the inappropriately procured listing of Louise House on this matter?
No doubt, Nasaroc, regardless of whether or not the DR pools are saved, and you get what you want, you will still be sticking the knife in somewhere.

This just seems to demonstrate yet again what a useless bunch our councillors are, if they cant have an honest debate about the maintenance funding of existing swimming pools in the borough. With the Olympics coming up, health issues and yoof crime and boozing on the agenda, surely it's a no brainer.

It does beg the question what puposeful function the position of Mayor holds if the person who is elected cant cut through the political bull regaless of where he/she lives!

No, I'm sorry... I have tried to avoid Party politics on this one, as I dislike the Party system, and I don't regard it as a Party political issue, but some of this really can't stand...

In my own contact with the pools campaign, I have observed the following:

1) Forest Hill ward councillors have been unrelentingly supportive.
2) Perry Vales ones broadly, but less so.
3) 'Opposition', from what I have seen, has all been from within the Mayor's own party.

My conclusion would be that if there are Party political games going on over what should be a matter of service provision, they are all internal to the Mayor's party: either because they are fighting for resources for their own wards (fair 'nuff: that's their job), or because they have chosen to see Forest Hill ward councillor's involvement as Machiavellian, rather than (as seems to have been the case) their just doing the job they were elected to do by representing the views presented to them by their constituents. I don't care either way - that's their problem.

But they are none of them elected to make it ours!

Roz wrote:

Well, actually, let's not revisit that now. Nasaroc sticking the knife in somewhere? I don't know, but it feels almost as if you want him to!

I think I'm right in thinking that this 3rd option has pretty much invalidated the whole consultation. (Another worthless consultation? - There is a pattern forming here..)

If I was part of the WW heathen, I'd feel like I'd been manipulated into putting the whole weight of my argument in stressing that the most important factor is speed of delivery. Which of course is no longer a factor.

So a fairly ambiguous and contrived 'result' is yet further undermined.

Just give us the figures broken down by postcode. What do SE23 residents want? (Bangs drum once again.)

The report makes interesting reading and is a bit of a roller coaster ride. Found myself convinced the decision would be Option 2 and then 2 pages later thought it'd be Option 1/3, over and over again. The conclusion appears fairly positive towards Option 1/3 but I just cant see it happening.

Finger's crossed for option 3 though.

I hope that people will come along to the Mayor and Cabinet meeting on Wednesday - 6pm, to show your support for a return to swimming on Dartmouth Road at the earliest opportunity.

It is not a public meeting where people can speak, but you can attend and show that people really do care about this issue.

With luck the meeting will be followed by a few drinks to toast the coming of a new pool!

I am making this post as a spokesperson for the Keep Swimming in Forest Hill campaign, who presented the Council with a petition of 5,861 names in support of retaining the pools in Dartmouth Road.

THE IMPORTANT POINT IS THAT THE COUNCIL HAVE PRODUCED A NEW "OPTION 3". This is to build new pools on the Dartmouth Road site starting immediately. This has become possible because the Council's budget appears to be currently underspent and about ?3 million extra can be found (if the Mayor so decides).

This is potentially what we have been campaigning for all along and may mean that the right decisions, capable of being supported by most people in the Forest Hill area, are now being taken. What we need to do is make sure that this right decision is taken. The Mayor and Cabinet meet to decide the issue at the Civic Suite, Lewisham Town Hall, Catford Broadway, Catford on Wednesday 15th July starting at 6pm. KSFH and its supporters will be meeting at 5.45pm on the steps to the Civic Suite. PLEASE COME TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR NEW "OPTION 3". Your can also email the Mayor at steve.bullock@lewisham.gov.uk

KSFH welcomes this apparent change of heart (if it happens). Obviously we will need to keep an eye on a couple of issues as we move forward. Will the pools frontage block be retained in any new scheme? Will the new scheme be the generally well received Allies and Morrison design? If not, will the pools be of good design and retain and introduce elements and facilities which local people want?