CAMPAIGNERS hoping to acquire the Temple Cowley Pools leisure centre have dropped plans to buy it in favour of a leasing agreement.

Save Temple Cowley Pools wants to prevent the leisure complex’s closure as a £9.45m replacement in Blackbird Leys is being finished by Oxford City Council.

The group revealed to the Oxford Mail it would add community facilities to the centre, make it more environmentally friendly, and bring in a jacuzzi and flumes alongside the existing pool.

It came as Oxford City Council leader Bob Price confirmed a meeting had been set to consider bids for the facility on December 10.

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Campaigners are hoping the council will choose their proposals instead of commercial offers made by potential buyers.

The council put the centre back on the open market on October 8, after it was declared “an asset of community value” – delaying sale by six months to allow the community to create a proposal.

Save Temple Cowley Pools director Nigel Gibson, below, said: “The key to a successful community operation is being able to run the centre at a profit, something the council has failed to do.

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“We are following in the footsteps of the many communities up and down the country that have taken assets into community ownership and run them successfully.

“Our proposal presents zero risk and no financial commitment to the council.

“If we are successful, everyone wins. If we don’t succeed, then the council can follow its original plan and sell the land for development.

“We have had fantastic support from the community and hope the council recognises just how much Oxford wants to keep Temple Cowley Pools open.”

As part of its scheme the group has pledged to refurbish existing changing rooms, exercise studio, sauna, steam room and gym.

It would also build a café, community centre and exercise studio, along with treatment rooms for health and fitness.

The Oxford Mail understands that for this scheme to go ahead the city council would need to agree to a ‘community asset transfer’.

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  • The building as it is now

This would probably involve a long-term lease agreement with campaigners.

The authority reported in October that it had received 10 bids, but has not revealed who placed them.

Mr Price said the campaigners’ bid did not meet criteria for a commercial bid, but would be considered anyway as a separate proposal by the city council executive board at its December meeting.

He said: “The option is one we will consider separately to the number of commercial bids we have received.

“We have not yet discussed leases with them, but for their proposal to go ahead it will require a lot more working up. We will give them time to present their case.”

Save Temple Cowley Pools spokeswoman Jane Alexander added: “We welcome the council’s acknowledgement that the community proposal cannot be considered a commercial bid.

“We welcome the opportunity to give a full presentation of our proposal.”

Save Temple Cowley Pools will present its plans to the public at a meeting on Monday, starting at 6pm in the United Reform Church Hall, in Temple Road.

 

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