• 25 metre 8 lane swimming pool with spectator seating
• Learner pool
• Leisure waters, shallow area with play features, slides etc
• 80 station fitness suite with aerobics studio
• Multi-purpose studio/education spaces
• Outdoor events area and walkways to North Marine Park
• Catering, changing and toilet facilities
• Library Access Point and Tourism Information Point
• Public area and immediate streetscape. 

While the Independent Alliance have no objections to such a development and agree with the public that more is needed at the sea front we were interested in how large the foot print of such a development would be. The Council has purchased the laser arcade building but even an uninformed observer could see that this site would never contain such a building never mind all the parking associated with it.  

As the minutes of Cabinet meetings are no longer an item on the full Council agenda having been removed in the latest move to stop democratic debate by the Labour group and their various acolytes, in particular Cllr George Elsom & Cllr David Potts, we decided to move a notice of motion to open up the debate. We submitted the following:  

‘We call upon South Tyneside Council to bring a report to the next full Council meeting on the submissions received from the five teams selected to submit a tender for the State of the Art Leisure Facilities and New Pool on Pier Parade clearly identifying the foot print of the development and the development costs.’ 

Rather innocuous you would have thought and the intention was to find out how much of the North Marine Park the development will encroach upon as well as the cost. Not so, it was rejected! To quote from the letter outlining the reasons for rejection;  

‘The design team for the project are likely to be formally appointed only on 1st March 2010. The projected development costs and likely footprint of the building will not be known some time after that because a design will need to be worked up by the team.’  

Strange, particularly as the letter was accompanied by a map which clearly shows that the development will encroach upon the park! The letter goes on to state that the projected costs will be ‘commercially sensitive’ a common ploy to stop any information reaching the public. However one aspect of the map was reassuring. The Pier Pavilion Theatre is not within the development footfall, the resolution that the Independent Alliance moved at full Council to protect the Theatre seems to have worked!  

We will continue to watch this development with interest, not to oppose it but to ensure that the public is aware of what is happening and is kept fully informed of the impact and the cost of the development. 

You can read the full report below: 

Provide State of the Art Leisure Facilities

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