Sir – Freddie Whittaker’s article (Council still planning to shut Temple Cowley Pools, October 11) quotes Labour councillor and city board member for leisure services, Van Coulter, as saying: “Temple Cowley emits 866 tonnes of CO2 per year and a new facility would only emit 286 tonnes.”
What he doesn’t say is that he’s not comparing like with like and that the pool at Temple Cowley on its own emits less than 180 tonnes, way below the estimate for the proposed new pool.
It is the Temple Cowley leisure centre as a whole, including a gym, sauna, steam room and exercise studio, which the 866 tonnes figure, quoted by councillor Coulter, would be referring to. The carbon emissions of the new pool would not be a saving over the carbon emissions of the current pool at Temple Cowley.
This important point — that the saving in emissions would be due to the loss of additional community facilities — gym, sauna, steam room and exercise studio — needs to be made clear to the public. Temple Cowley swimming pool is as efficient as any other pool in Oxford and could be made even more efficient with a rigid pool cover.
Jeanne Warren, Garsington
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