Retired teacher and PoolTooSmall stalwart from the start, Ernest Barnes, takes issue with Cllr Rowlands and has some good advice about Main Pool sizes.On page 12 of Hertsad 10 March 2011

SIR:-

I  feel fairly incensed by the remarks of Councillor Rowlands, the Lib Dem portfolio holder for leisure, after the council meeting last week which gave the go-ahead for the new leisure centre. He said, 'The Lib Dem administration has not been deflected by the vocal opposition of a small minority abetted by the opposition parties' . Well, Councillor Rowlands, a recent survey commissioned by you showed that over 10,000 people in St Albans go swimming on a regular basis.  346 of them took the trouble to write in to the council to complain that the new pool will not be big enough for serious swimming.  This is a sizeable minority. The present pool is barely coping when it is used for lane swimming.  If you are planning to attract 4,000 new members to the new pool, which is similar in size, then it is going to be over crowded. I think that what your statement means is that the Lib Dems have refused to listen. The new pool will only be 17 metres wide, whereas the ASA recommended width for a 25 metre pool is 21 metres. However you are insisting on having adjustable floors in the new leisure centre at a cost of over a million pounds when a normal shallow end would be perfectly adequate.  For this money you could have put in a wider pool.   Ernest Barnes,  St Vincent Drive,St Albans.