The group had been given until tomorrow 7 August 2012 to put together a bid for the former Leith Waterworld premises. They required to organise funding for the lease, the refurbishment of the premises as well as the running costs going forward.
The community bid, which comprises a detailed business case and offer letter, will be handed in in person by campaign representatives to the CEC headquarters at Waverley Court tomorrow morning, just ahead of the closing date at 12 noon.
Campaigner Johnny Gailey said:- “We’re taking our community bid to the Council, handing over the torch to them. It is only fitting that, during this exciting Olympic time, the future of such a well-loved and accessible pool is secured for the people of Leith, all of Edinburgh and beyond. We are providing a proposal, a springboard, for a new beginning for Waterworld, and we hope the Council will take a leap of faith and dive in.”
Fellow campaigner Ida Maspero said: “We believe our business case and supporting documents demonstrate that best value – in the broadest sense, not simply financial – will be achieved by giving the community a chance to re-open this unique and much-loved leisure pool.”
The business case draws heavily on the results of an extensive user survey run by Splashback between mid-May and end-July. The survey, which saw over 800 responses, is part impact study and part market research. It reveals the damaging impact of the closure in January, with 74% of respondents saying that they are now swimming less since Leith Waterworld closed.
Maspero continued: “Waterworld’s unique features – particularly its warmer water temperature and shallow beach area – made it particularly popular with parents of young children to gain early water confidence, and for those with disabilities to enjoy the freedom of water. The survey has seen a good number of responses from people with disabilities or their carers, identified by respondents as a user group for whom Waterworld was particularly important.”
One respondent wrote: I attended Leith Waterworld almost every saturday and sunday for the last 5 years. I am a carer for a young man with Down Syndrome and we loved coming along every weekend, sometimes both days. Then I had my daughter 2 years ago and brought her every weekend too. It is very badly missed!
The council passed a motion in June instigated by the Leisure Convenor Richard Lewis to try and assist the group with the information they will need from council officers to finalise their paperwork.
You can access this and all of our other articles when you are out and about in Edinburgh by using the Wikitude App on your smartphone. This allows you to search for The Edinburgh Reporter and. using technology called Augmented Reality, you will find the articles which are written about the area of Edinburgh where you are at the time. All of our articles are geotagged with an appropriate location. So for example if you want to read all of our Hibs related articles then when you are at Easter Road you can find them by using the app.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
