Hucknall councillors welcome 'belated' plans for Edgewood swimming pool site

Councillors Ian Briggs and Dave Shaw (both Ash Ind), who represesent Hucknall West on Ashfield Council, have welcomed the small investment from Nottinghamshire Council to deal with the ‘mothballed’ pool.

The council-owned pool was closed in April 2021 after Ashfield Council said it could no longer afford to support the leisure centre and the site was then handed back to the school’s landowner, Nottinghamshire Council.

It has remained mothballed ever since and now the Conservative-led county council has revealed its plans for the site.

Coun Shaw, who also represents Hucknall West at County Hall, said: “We welcome the investment that the Conservatives have proposed.

"We’re disappointed, however, that they would not maintain the leisure facilities they own for the residents of Hucknall.

"The Tories are correct to call the site of the old pool a ‘blight’ on the school.

"But it was the Tories who let this site decay and this is the least they should be doing, not patting themselves on the back for fixing a problem they chose to create.

Coun Briggs added: “We welcome the fact the Tories have belatedly realised that they were not serving the young people of Hucknall well.

"This is investment that should have been put in place two years ago.

"Whilst the Tories have let the old pool rot, the Ashfield Independents have invested £5.5million in Hucknall Leisure Centre including building the new learner’s pool which is proving hugely popular.”