Structural Engineer and Councillor Mike Wakely has weighed in again against the New Lodge scheme. I reproduce in full his letter in the Herts Advertiser of 30th September 2010.

SIR-At the SADC meeting of September 15 Cllr Donald verbally confirmed that the option to regenerate the existing Westminster Lodge (WL) facility and extend the existing pool to 50m had NOT been offered for consideration by the SADC consultants.

This solution was considered in an earlier SADC detailed report. An extension to house the pool extension and not unsurprising needed new building services could not only have saved the existing diving /flume facilities ,retained existing trees ,reduced carbon footprint, not interfered with (Abbey) theatre , provided new facilities but have saved residents money.

The extension could have been built with the present pool still in use with a closed period in order to make the connection. It helps being a structural engineer. Bricket Wood could have been used for that relatively short period except they decided to close it .

It gets worse. In the Cabinet papers of August 10 the life expectancy of the materials in the new WL used to external elevations is stated to be only 25 years (imagine the walls of your house failing after only 25 years ).A 50 m pool we NOW understand from the council meeting was always recommended by the ASA .The consultants suggest in their briefing of the O&S meeting that the proposed new WL 25m pool is probably unsized for the future growth and if we stop now we waste possibly £1.5 million of their fees .

Perhaps for free they should design and pay for the extra cost of the facility to be extendable .

MIKE WAKELY , Councillor, Oakfield Road, Harpenden.