Anger about latest delays over reopening of Shrewsbury's Quarry Pool
Further delays over the reopening of Shrewsbury's Quarry Pool have been criticised by campaigners and Lib Dem councillors.
Shropshire Council says that "unforeseen delays" in the tendering process for work at Shrewsbury's main Quarry Pool has led to a set back in its reopening.
Town centre campaigners and councillors say they feel that the lack of attention given to the Quarry Pool over years meant this delay was ‘avoidable and foreseeable’.
Local campaigner Alex Wagner said: “The latest delays mean the main Quarry Pool will have been closed for over a year by the time it is fixed up. This is unacceptable, and was entirely avoidable and foreseeable.
"Local residents rallied to our call for a set-in-stone date to get the main pool back, and Shropshire Council’s announcement last year of a £400,000 refurbishment job by May 2023 was met with real contentment from residents in the loop. It will come as a huge setback to many that this has been reneged on."
Quarry and Coton Hill councillor Nat Green added: “The Quarry Pool means a lot to residents of the town centre and beyond, yet has not received the attention such an important asset deserves.
"It was not inevitable that the main Quarry Pool would have to close for over a year, it just required a different approach to keeping the facility in a good condition, and not wasting so much money on plans to close it.”
The Liberal Democrat petition from last autumn read: "We the undersigned call on Shropshire Council to guarantee that the main Quarry pool will reopen and will not be closed by stealth."
It also urged Shropshire Council to announce a date for reopening the main Quarry Pool. It received just under 200 signatures from town centre residents.
