£20m Olympic-sized swimming pool plan for Bond Street in Hull city centre please log in to view this image PLANS are being drawn up for a £20m Olympic-sized swimming pool and ice rink on the site of the former Edwin Davis department store in Hull city centre. Councillor Terry Geraghty, cabinet member for sport and leisure, has suggested a compulsory purchase order could be used to take over the Bond Street site, next to a council car park. He said: "I want to see a 50m swimming pool, combined with an ice rink, in the city centre. "Some people outside Hull still think we're a backwater. We're not and we'll soon have an Olympic-size swimming pool. "We have people looking at a number of sites now and my preferred site would be Bond Street. "This site has been derelict for many years. It's become a blight and, if we're looking to move this city forward, it's not good enough to have buildings left unused for years." Cllr Geraghty conceded there has long been talk of a city centre Olympic-size pool to rival those in Leeds and Sheffield, but insists it is about to become a reality. "People have waited years for one," he said. "I have been in local government 44 years and I am more optimistic than I have ever been. "In my opinion, it's surprising that Hull, given its size and catchment area, which includes roughly one million people, does not have an Olympic-size swimming pool. "It makes sense to combine a pool and ice rink. The ice rink could help heat the pool. "You only have to stick your hand behind the back of your fridge at home to see how much heat comes out." In April, City Activities Limited will take over the running of the council's museums, leisure centres, libraries and parks, saving the cash-strapped council about £1m a year. Cllr Geraghty said the council-owned company's immediate priority will be improving facilities at Hull New Theatre, Ferens Art Gallery and Woodford and Ennerdale leisure centres. "The swimming pool and ice rink will form part of the second tranche," he said. "But I would expect the pool and ice rink to be built within the next four or five years. That's realistic." Cllr Geraghty said the creation of a large pool in the centre of Hull would not threaten the future of 25m pools in other areas of the city. "The Olympic-size pool would be used to host international events and, of course, training for those taking part in these events," he said. "Ennerdale caters for the north of the city. There's Woodford in the east, and Albert Avenue and Beverley Road in the west. "That won't change, but as we've already said, East Hull Pools will close once work at Woodford is completed." Cllr Geraghty said the ability to build both a 50m swimming pool and an ice rink on the Bond Street site depends on the fate of the former Edwin Davis building next to the car park. London developer Hollybrook Homes currently owns the site. Hull commercial property agent Garness Jones is inviting offers of about £1m. Cllr Geraghty said the council was not yet ruling out developing Hull Arena, in Kingston Street, as an alternative to building a new rink. "It needs money to be spent on it," he said. "When it was built 20 years ago, we deliberately ensured there was space to extend it at a later date. "That is still an option, although there would not be enough room to house both an Olympic-size swimming pool and an ice rink, so we would have to look elsewhere to site the pool." Steve Collins, chairman of Kingston-upon-Hull Swimming Club, which has 240 members, said: "We would welcome a 50m pool. It would give City Activities Limited the opportunity to host competitions and high-level meetings. "It would also help raise the profile of swimming and bring back the city's swimming heritage." Bobby McEwan, owner of the Hull Stingrays ice hockey team, which is based at Hull Arena, said he would be "very happy" for the club to move into a modern, multipurpose venue. http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/20m-...tory-26114243-detail/story.html#ixzz3TPYqFA5y I'm all for improving facilities in Hull, but why we have to knock down a great(if slightly knackered) building to do it, is beyond me, surely there's a better site for an Olympic size swimming pool and ice rink?
Knock down BHS and a beautiful urban park would be great there if you ask me, but that wont bring money in. Saying that I did always like that big sea mural thing above BHS main entrance. Maybe it could be saved and the rest knocked down? I'm not even a novice on these things.
please log in to view this image It didn't really work out for Leeds, they haven't had a city centre one for nearly a decade. I think there's one on the outskirts somewhere now though.
Odd that they're dragging this back out now. It was proposed a year or two back. It was part of the process that was going to close Ennerdale.
Except Leeds didn't have one. It was built a few centimetres short of 50m which prevented its use for competitions. Of course our local council would never be involved in any sporting events where the distance wasn't correct. Would they?
Not living in Hull, how busy is the current one? Is Geraghty an ice hockey fan as well as a RL one as a matter of interest.
That's a bit of a myth actually, it was technically too narrow to be classed as an Olympic pool but the only competitions that require a pool that size are the Olympics and FINA World Championships (neither were ever intended to be held there). All other swim competitions can be held in narrower pool and were frequently at the Leeds International Pool.
Seems an odd place to put a swimming pool/ice rink complex. It would need a lot of parking and surely they wouldn't want that on what must be prime land? But what do I know, I'm not a councillor...
Yet more proposals, when is this Culture thing actually going to get anything done, I can't see anything anywhere, oh sorry some demolition in the Fruit area, but other than that what are those people up to, and getting paid for, in bringing change to the city? Whilst on the subject is any money going to be put aside to refurbish the many dangerous paving slabs and briquettes around the city centre which are a disgrace as well as dangerous as being either broken, loose or just protruding out of the ground?
I don't think the ice hockey is very well attended, I have no idea how many people use it for skating, but I think it only really gets big numbers for boxing and gigs.
We all know the best site for this would be Walton St. The KC, the Airco Arena, an Ice rink and swimming pool all with in 200 metres.
Almost like some sort of sports village... Pretty sure some mad toad has already thought of that one.
As an outsider looking in, he appears a lot of a cock. Wasn't it only 18 months ago he was attempting to close Ennerdale, the only pool in Hull that is officially accredited as a competition venue, along with other leisure services & facilities, as there was no funding available? His offensive & arrogant manner towards the electorate whilst consulting on leisure cuts prompted a Censure Motion over his behaviour, which was then whitewashed by his party when they enforced a vote before anybody spoke on the motion. To me the man's a cock & unfit for his position or maybe, as an outsider, I don't see the good he does. Surely there is some "good" isn't there? Why else would the electorate vote this incompetent relic of the past into office?
I was living in Leedscat the time, used to go there frequently. There were more than one issue. They didn't factor in the slight difference which would be caused by the tiles being added.And, which wasn't the fault of anyone concerned, the Olympic Committee altered the lane widths, making them larger. Anything untoward shouldn't have been a surprise as John Poulson was involved. They now have a superb place to replace it. Leeds, much as I don't like the place, tends to get on with things whilst Hull talks about them.
The Ennerdale closure was associated with this proposal when it was put forward a couple of years back. The irony of a City centre sports village run by a group that Gerraghty was to head was pointed out at the time. A cynical person could wonder if it was a factor in knocking back and ridiculingn the Allams bid.
The council want to transfer leisure services to an arms length company. Thus they can get the grants but operate on a commercial basis. They will be then something in it for them as pockets can be lined and money can be made. A sports village under in house control is not in their interests. It seems that unless there is something in it for the council (not the public they serve, there will be trouble, or they will make trouble). God knows how Siemens got off the ground. I suspect it was more ABP and MP's rather than Hull City Council.