Charlotte Barrow asked a series of questions about Temple Cowley Pools (Oxford Mail ViewPoints, August 20).

Here is the reply she requested from the city council.

The council has an aspiration for well used, high-quality, inclusive leisure facilities that are delivered in a financially and environmentally sustainable way.

While we recognise that Temple Cowley Pools and Blackbird Leys Pool are convenient for residents within walking distance, neither is able to meet this aspiration.

Temple Cowley is subsidised by more than £500,000 a year and has a maintenance backlog of more than £2.3m.

Both Temple Cowley and Blackbird Leys pools are in poor condition, with inherent access and parking problems.

The structure at Temple Cowley is failing, with a large temporary scaffold propping up the pool roof. The carbon footprint at Temple Cowley alone is 973 tonnes per annum, which is 10 per cent of the council’s core emissions.

Coupled with these operational problems the city also has twice the national average of accessible water space and, with the exception of Ferry Sports Centre, the council’s leisure centres are underused. This is partly due to most council pools being built prior to 10 private leisure facilities opening in the city.

Following work by consultancy Mace, it is clear the council has two feasible options that do not result in throwing good money after bad, trying to maintain an oversupply of poor quality facilities.

The first option would be to close both Temple Cowley and Blackbird Leys without replacement. Although this is the only option that delivers a saving, it would result in no community swimming provision in the south east of the city.

The second option would be to close both Temple Cowley and Blackbird Leys and to develop a new facility next to Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre.

This option is feasible as it can, in the main, be financed from the savings made by combining two facilities into one and by using the money from selling the land at Temple Cowley Pools.

Additionally the maintenance backlog and future repair and maintenance costs are avoided with a new facility.

There is no option within current budgets to finance a refurbishment or rebuild at Temple Cowley, as neither the savings from two centres going into one extended facility, nor money from the sale of Temple Cowley would be available.

The Blackbird Leys option would see the development of a facility meeting the council’s aspiration.

The new pool would offer an eight-lane pool capable of hosting regional swimming galas, a teaching pool with a level of fun water, be fully accessible for people with disabilities and result in a carbon emissions reduction of more than 600 tonnes every year.

Only by achieving a sustainable solution will we be able to continue our work on increasing participation and the health-related benefits Ms Barrow alludes to.

The current proposal for a new build also includes a moveable floor. This technology enables the pool to be used by more groups at any one time.

Oxford University’s Iffley Road pool does have a joint use agreement, with the main emphasis of the agreement to ensure access for local schools and community membership packages for adults. There is no guaranteed use for galas, however there is a clause for up to six hours of club time per week, with the times being at the discretion of the university.

The City of Oxford Swimming Club requires more than 90 hours per week and already has sessions at the times when the university is able to offer the club times.

The pool cannot be used for competitions due to the lack of spectator seating and the likelihood of competitions clashing with university sessions.

Bob Timbs, Executive member for leisure, Oxford City Council