Pool purpose needs clarifying

It has to be 52 metres long to include a two-metre boom to enable it to be split into two pools, normally of 25 metres.

It would need to be 10-lanes wide and two metres deep throughout to ensure the correct size for swimming competitions.

A second pool for swimmers to warm up and cool down and comprehensive changing and spectator areas would need to be included.

Water temperature will have to be controlled to allow for 80F for leisure and 70F for competitions.

Or, as I suspect, do they want as much space as possible for everyone to have a leisurely swim and enjoy a splash around? To just have it as a leisure pool would be a wasted opportunity. We also need to cater for competition events to attract visitors to the town.

Given the size of plot and the money available, we need to give serious consideration to what we want to use it for and less about how big the pool is.

We could have a 10-lane, 25 -metre pool that is two metres deep for competitions and has a moveable floor to reduce the depth at one end to allow for learners and fun times.

This will still give an additional 25 per cent surface area over the current six-lane pool. A separate fun pool with slides would also double as the warm-up facility that major events require.

National, international and world swimming championships are held in long (50-metre) and short (25-metre) course swimming pools.

Therefore, we would not be compromised by having a shorter pool with the maximum number of lanes and a separate leisure/training pool.

Above all, consult with the Amateur Swimming Association, which controls competition and teacher training, to ensure nothing is overlooked should they wish to consider the facility for the allocation of events to Worthing.

Of course, I would love to regularly swim in a 50-metre pool, as would all our budding swimming stars, with world-class facilities. But is it right for us? Probably not in the current climate.

Sally Mills

former schools

swimming teacher

Mayfield Close

Worthing

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Given the size of plot and the money available, we need to give serious consideration to what we want to use it for and less about how big the pool is.

We could have a 10-lane, 25 -metre pool that is two metres deep for competitions and has a moveable floor to reduce the depth at one end to allow for learners and fun times.

This will still give an additional 25 per cent surface area over the current six-lane pool. A separate fun pool with slides would also double as the warm-up facility that major events require.

National, international and world swimming championships are held in long (50-metre) and short (25-metre) course swimming pools.

Therefore, we would not be compromised by having a shorter pool with the maximum number of lanes and a separate leisure/training pool.

Above all, consult with the Amateur Swimming Association, which controls competition and teacher training, to ensure nothing is overlooked should they wish to consider the facility for the allocation of events to Worthing.

Of course, I would love to regularly swim in a 50-metre pool, as would all our budding swimming stars, with world-class facilities. But is it right for us? Probably not in the current climate.

Sally Mills

former schools

swimming teacher

Mayfield Close

Worthing