Work delayed at swimming pool (From Daily Echo)

Vital work at Romsey Rapids delayed until Spring

2:41pm Saturday 8th September 2012 in News

TEST Valley Borough Council is set to spend more than half a million pounds replacing the ventilation system at Romsey Rapids.

However, the work, which will involve closing the pool for six weeks, has been delayed by European rules and regulations.

The council had planned to do the work, for which they have set aside up to £575,000, at Christmas, but, due to the procurement procedure they must follow, the work will now be delayed until next spring.

Although the pool will be closed, other parts of the Rapids such as the gym and other “dry side” activities will remain open.

Cllr Peter Giddings, economic portfolio holder, said the council had hoped to have everything in place so that work could take place at the most convenient time – over Christmas.

Instead, because TVBC must go through this EU procurement process, he said they were now looking at doing the work in the spring.

Cllr Giddings said: “It’s working but it’s tired. Romsey Rapids has been built 20 years and it’s an expensive system to replace. We can’t run the risk of the ventilation packing up.”