BLACKBURN with Darwen Council has no current plans to sell the site of the closed Daisyfield Pools complex when it is demolished, councillors have been told.
On Thursday night, the authority’s planning committee approved an application to knock down the building in Daisy Lane.
The council controversially closed the swimming complex in August 2023 after the discovery of legionella bacteria sparked wider health and safety concerns about pool plant and equipment in the 118-year-old building.
Thursday’s meeting was the final piece of the jigsaw to permit the demolition of the building which had two separate pools for adults and children.
In September last year the authority’s ruling executive board confirmed the closure despite an impassioned plea to reverse the decision from Shelley Whitehead from charitable organisation Half Fish which had operated the complex on its behalf since 2016, providing swimming lessons for thousands of children in the town.
But an officer’s report said council could not afford the £71,000 needed to refurbish the pool plant and £3.1million more required for wider building repairs to keep the pools operational in the short term.
In April the authority went out to tender for a contractor to knock down the building and last month submitted the necessary planning application to start the actual demolition process which will begin once councillors have rubber stamped it.
On Thursday night that application was approved.
Bastwell and Daisyfield ward’s 4 BwD councillor Rana Gulistan Khan asked the council’s growth boss Cllr Quesir Mahmood: “Can we not sell the site?”
He replied: “We have no current plans to sell the site.
“We will demolish the building and then decide what to do with the vacant site.”
The planning officer’s report told Thursday’s meeting: “The building is in a dilapidated state and is no longer fit for purpose.
“The site will be redeveloped in the future.”
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