A new dawn

SIR – Westminster Lodge Leisure centre is coming to the end of its life. The old pool is the wrong shape (too thin and narrow) for present day school galas and county swimming competitions. The building is very energy demanding. We are heating the sky as

SIR - Westminster Lodge Leisure centre is coming to the end of its life. The old pool is the wrong shape (too thin and narrow) for present day school galas and county swimming competitions.

The building is very energy demanding. We are heating the sky as well as the pool water. It's carbon footprint is growing, no solar panels, no recycling of water and old inefficient boilers.

Its only other facilities are a relatively small gym and one studio space for fitness classes. It was after all, built in 1971 as stage one, in a two-stage building plan for a leisure facility. However, stage two never got built. No sports hall, no space for other leisure activities.

An exciting new leisure centre with two larger pools, a toddler splash area, a larger gym, a spinning studio (fixed bike riding), a climbing wall, a specialist youth gym, a sports hall, two more fitness studios as well as a bistro and a spa experience is currently being planned. The centre will of course include green sustainable technology. I understand that residents who have used the old centre for many years feel sadness as its closure draws nearer. But I urge them to talk to their children and their grandchildren and find out whether they are keen to have more space for toddlers to gain confidence in the water, more space for teaching children to swim and more space for family activities. Are the youngsters keen to learn to climb, get fit in their own gym, interested in self-defence classes or playing badminton? All these activities and many more will be possible with the building of a new leisure centre in Verulamium Park.

SHEILA BURTON

Sandridgebury, St Albans