Huge THANKS to everyone who has signed our Petition, if you can please continue to share and encourage others to add their signature before Tuesday next week, we can continue to show the strength of feeling for carrying out a short but thorough review of the Abbey Fields Swimming Pools Project.

If you have time please also contact your local Kenilworth Town and Warwick District Council Councillors to ask that they Don’t make a QUICK Decision but that they Make The RIGHT Decision!

The decision to build or NOT build on Abbey Fields has become a difficult one. Many have become worn down and given in to the ‘let’s just get it done whatever the cost’ idea or the ‘agree to this or risk having no pool at all’ threats.

We believe there are other options which would cost significantly less, be far better environmentally and offer substantially improved access for those of all abilities, disabilities, ages and preferences (including those with less seen disabilities).

We are asking for an independent review of all the options, which could realistically be completed within a few months, causing minimal delay and ensuring we don’t just get it done but that we get it done right and achieve the very best for our community now and for the future. 

The current data is not reliable so we need to look at the facts, test the figures and consider the risks.  

·         Spending £20-30million on a pool which should realistically cost nearer £10-15million is too much! It does not represent good value financially or environmentally.

·         Building a massive, building to an outdated design (2013 building regulations) in Abbey Fields on a site of archaeological significance, on a flood plain does not make good sense and poses considerable risk.

·         There are much more suitable sites in Kenilworth which are now available and should be considered.  There are so many innovative options, given a little more space and imagination.

·         St Sidwell’s Point Leisure Centre in Exeter was recently designed and constructed to the Passivhaus Standard.  The view of the Designer is that, ‘for a wet Leisure Centre, building to the Passivhaus Standard means that savings are massive in operational cost terms and also to the environment in the building and the health of the public and staff’

·         In relation to the Exeter Project a significant fact is that the Payback for the Exeter scheme was based on 10 years, which challenges Paddy Herlihy’s statement at the Public Meeting on 27th September where he stated that the current design could only include a limited number of environmental considerations that had a payback of less than 15 years, which he later clarified is due to the current design.

·         Building to the Passivhaus Standard refers to buildings created to rigorous energy efficient design standards which is surely what we should be doing in line with WDC’s pledge to become carbon neutral by 2025. 

·         There are 10s of wet Leisure Centres across the UK that are being deigned to the Passivhaus Standard right now!  There are at least two that are currently being built on site.

Don’t let Kenilworth be remembered as the Town who let around £30million be spent building an outdated, carbon hungry pool complex, with limited parking and poor access, on top of significant archaeological remains in the middle of a beautiful park, without insisting that WDC take full consideration of all the risks and carry out a responsible review of ALL the options.

Please speak out before the WDC Overview & Scrutinity Meeting on 31/10/23 to get the best possible option for Kenilworth.