Arthur Hill Swimming Pool Development

[Tommy]

Perhaps you can get in touch via their Facebook page?

https://www.facebook.com/SaveArthurHill/

[Tommy]

Arthur Hill - sale falls through. Deary me.

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news ... s/?ref=rss

[eddieed]

Two quotes in that article make me cross...

"What we need in this town as much as anything is good affordable housing provision"

"The council is committed to providing a state of the art swimming pool"

The first seems to be a priority and rightly so but currently Reading is falling behind on providing vital services to it's residents. They may be committed but where are the plans, the info etc...its years off.

Someone needs to be held to account for this.

[Tommy]

Two quotes in that article make me cross...

"What we need in this town as much as anything is good affordable housing provision"

"The council is committed to providing a state of the art swimming pool"

The first seems to be a priority and rightly so but currently Reading is falling behind on providing vital services to it's residents. They may be committed but where are the plans, the info etc...its years off.

Someone needs to be held to account for this.

The council said the new swimming pools will be with us by 2021. I suspect they may use the sale falling through as an excuse now - not that they were ever going to meet the 2021 deadline any way.

[MickEdge]

The drive for affordable housing without the associated infrastructure will not end well. Infrastructure is not just GP Surgeries, schools and better public transport, most of which isn’t being addressed either. It’s also swimming pools, community centres and other leisure activities that are affordable to use, especially for the young and single. If they aren’t provided, I fear for what the town centre will end up like, with groups of young people with nowhere to go and nothing to do. We seem to have accepted a society where unless a public service or leisure facility is completely self-funded or profitable, it won’t go ahead. None of us seem to be prepared to pay for it.

[Tommy]

And there was an piece on the radio today how drugs gangs are taking over Reading. I fear more and more young people will get caught up in it all, because they have nothing 'better to do'.

[MrsKaur]

We definitely need something for the town centre like an ice rink or community area.

[Tommy]

We need a new council first and foremost.

[Tommy]

WBC considering purchasing Arthur Hill.

[chris_j_wood]

WBC considering purchasing Arthur Hill.

Wouldn't hold your breath. Sounds like its no more that a Tory publicity stunt.

[KeithW]

WBC considering purchasing Arthur Hill.

An insider tells me the plan is to move it to Sol Joel Park, so not too far.

[chris_j_wood]

An insider tells me the plan is to move it to Sol Joel Park, so not too far.

I presume that they are going to teleport it there using the Startrek transporter-beam technology incorporated into the town's LED streetlamps.

[KeithW]

It's calculated that the Wokingham road is wide enough, though some poles will have to be temporarily removed, and they'll use similar transporters to those used on the Caversham road railway bridge. The spoil from Sol Joel will be used to fill the hole left at Cemetery Junction.

[dave m]

But after Brexit, won't there be a shortage of Poles?

[KeithW]

But after Brexit, won't there be a shortage of Poles?

They won't need to move the short poles, like used for typical no parking signs, only some of the longer ones.

[Tommy]

WBC considering purchasing Arthur Hill.

Wouldn't hold your breath. Sounds like its no more that a Tory publicity stunt.

Either way it highlights this shambolic Labour led council.

[chris_j_wood]

Either way it highlights this shambolic Labour led council.

Sorry, I thought we had agreed it was the poles fault. Although, to be honest, I've lost track of whether that is the LED lamp poles, short poles, tall poles or Poles.

[Pooneil]

Either way it highlights this shambolic Labour led council.

Sorry, I thought we had agreed it was the poles fault. Although, to be honest, I've lost track of whether that is the LED lamp poles, short poles, tall poles or Poles.

I thought it was the opinion polls...

[KeithW]

I thought it was the opinion polls...

No, it's pools, not polls or poles. WBC are planning to move Arthur Hill pool to Sol Joel Park so they benefit from the previous customer base while cocking a snook at Reading by being just a few yards over the boundary.

Basically, WBC are playing political football on an emotional roller-coaster.

[OLDMAN]

Great idea, it will be closer for us then!

[Tommy]

Do we think the swimming pools will be with us in 17 months as the council promised?

[KeithW]

Some years ago a sump was constructed in Palmer Park near the Woky/St Barts corner for surface water overflow storage. In 16 months time, all they need to do is remove the lid, bung in a bucket of bleach and put up a Portacabin to use as a changing room. Job done.

[OLDMAN]

Some years ago a sump was constructed in Palmer Park near the Woky/St Barts corner for surface water overflow storage. In 16 months time, all they need to do is remove the lid, bung in a bucket of bleach and put up a Portacabin to use as a changing room. Job done.

If only they could

I watched that being out in, it was all because a woman kept complain they got flooded when it rained, but that's another story...……..

However its built from lots of units all fitted together as one large tank, but the units are like open ended tanks with a honeycomb structure inside to stop them collapsing

Not conducive to swimming……………..

[windrush]

Some years ago a sump was constructed in Palmer Park near the Woky/St Barts corner for surface water overflow storage. In 16 months time, all they need to do is remove the lid, bung in a bucket of bleach and put up a Portacabin to use as a changing room. Job done.

Could have done with that when we lived there, every time it rained hard our kitchen flooded!

Pete.

[OLDMAN]

It was the house next door to yours who complained, there again they had built a garage / wall across at the side which made matters worse!

[OLDMAN]

Found the thread on it - viewtopic.php?f=38&t=6982

[windrush]

It was the house next door to yours who complained, there again they had built a garage / wall across at the side which made matters worse!

A garage was there when I was a kid and the same family still live in the house today. It wasn't good, gravel got washed down into the kitchen as well, mum actually spoke about it earlier this year and wondered if it was still the same! Only those two houses were affected, they were also built with different bricks to any other properties we have seen so maybe the water was another extra selling feature.

Pete.

[OLDMAN]

I remember when we spoke about it before, but always wondered if hat house as it says 'large detached house' in the report - yours and theirs where semi-detached though so wondered if the one just next door but in College Rd - at least you've confirmed which one

I remember the old garage, but a few years before the floods they build a new one, and wall right across that area, which I doubt helped when / if water did run down as it would have dammed just there before flooding through the garage

Oh well, now we don't get floods down the road (not that I ever saw one along that bit of road) it means we can't swim down there..............

[windrush]

I see what you mean about the new garage, that has changed a lot from when we lived there. It even has a bus lane now, I wonder if the bus stop is still in our garden? Sorry to go

Pete.

[OLDMAN]

Ha, I remember that bus stop - stood at it many times

Its now further along past the set-back houses

[Lizzy33]

What next??
Will the Council really put the site back up for sale? What will they do if the same set of bidders apply again?

As much as I would like to see a community centre/swimming pool I don't think it will happen unless a private company is willing to bank roll it

[Tommy]

What next??
Will the Council really put the site back up for sale? What will they do if the same set of bidders apply again?

As much as I would like to see a community centre/swimming pool I don't think it will happen unless a private company is willing to bank roll it

They will sell it to another developer to build flats on.

Council meetings go as follows these days. "Oh look, some land, whack some flats on it". "Right, off to the pub".

[Fed-up]

As laudable as the aim is here, I am not sure that adding 15 new flats to one of the most polluted locations in the borough is the correct way forward!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... e-49743575

Think I would much prefer it as a swimming pool. I suspect the council don't want to be humiliated if someone else makes a success of a pool at this location.

[Tommy]

As laudable as the aim is here, I am not sure that adding 15 new flats to one of the most polluted locations in the borough is the correct way forward!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... e-49743575

Think I would much prefer it as a swimming pool. I suspect the council don't want to be humiliated if someone else makes a success of a pool at this location.

I don't understand why Rodda is all up for Reading Gaol being an arts hub, but he's gone all quiet on this debacle?

[dave m]

I got an email from him telling me of progress about a week ago.
Alok sharma's very quiet?