Mayor 'sick of'heritage plea

MAJOR development plans for Scarborough's derelict South Bay Pool area have suffered a setback with moves to have it made a listed building.

The Twentieth Century Society, founded in 1979 to protect British architecture and design, has asked Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell to list the pool for its architectural interest and for the complex to be re-opened as a pool.

But the plan has been blasted by the leader of Scarborough Council, Coun Eileen Bosomworth, who said the society's plans would cost between £5m-£10m while the council was looking to invest £1m.

"I'm sick of people with big ideas who have no conception of where the money is coming from to pay for them. Such people are holding the town back - the society's ideas are pie in the sky!"

Re-opening the pool would be an added burden for the council taxpayers she said. "It is in a dangerous state at present and we are having to spend a lot of money on security to keep children out."

The council's plan involves filling in the pool and creating a dinosaur route with sculptures. "We want it to become a popular area for holiday-making families," said Coun Bosomworth.

Emmanuelle Morgan, spokeswoman for the Twentieth Century Society, said: "We have been looking at lidos for the past 12 years and in our expert opinion, the South Bay Pool is one of the best in the country. We have had letters from people in Scarborough who want to retain the pool. We think the council could obtain Heritage Lottery funding to carry out the work."

The pool was opened in 1915, and closed in 1989, but is still primarily a sea defence. The outer wall is to be retained to protect the area from the sea.

Updated: 10:42 Thursday, March 07, 2002