SWIMMERS in Chard have been given more time to put together a business case that would keep their local pool open.

Somerset County Council was originally due to close the Cresta Leisure Centre on Zembard Lane on September 3, having announced in July it could no longer afford to maintain it.

Following a public meeting on August 9, the community created a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) and informed the council it was formally interested in taking over the facility.

The council has now given the Kingfisher Community Group until September 14 to put forward a comprehensive business case for how the pool will be run, and outlined the process for transferring it over.

This comes as Chard Town Council voted on Monday evening (August 20) to grant £20,000 towards keeping the pool open.

Michele Cusack, the county council’s director of economic and community infrastructure commissioning, confirmed the local authority’s intentions in a letter to Councillor Amanda Broom, who organised the public meeting.

She said: “I can confirm that the documentation you submitted has been accepted as a formal expression of interest in the freehold transfer of the facility.

“In order to allow time for the group to fully develop the business plan by Friday, September 14, I can confirm the authority will not take steps to drain the pool when the facility is handed back to us on Monday, September 3.

“It will be necessary to keep the water circulating while the pool otherwise lays dormant and I am advised this will incur additional costs the CIO would need to underwrite.

“If sufficient progress has not been made in incorporating the new entity by September 14, we will commence draining of the pool, as previously advised.

“Following the pool’s closure on September 3, representatives of the Kingfisher Community Group will be provided with reasonable access to inspect the facility again, subject to agreeing mutually convenient times.”

The council will make a final decision on the future of the pool on August 29 – and has factored the Kingfisher Community Group’s involvement into this.

Barry James, the council’s strategic commissioning manager,  and Claire Lovett, its head of corporate property, laid out the timeline for the pool’s future in a joint statement accompanying the draft decision.

They said: “If the business plan is determined to be viable, relevant officers are authorised to negotiate heads of terms for the transfer of ownership of the pool building and land for a nominal fee by no later than October 8.

“Subject to this, they will negotiate the necessary legal agreement to transfer freehold ownership of the facility to the legal entity incorporated by the community body [the Kingfisher Community Group]  by no later than December 10.”

If the business plan is not accepted, the facility will be mothballed and permanently decommissioned by mid-January 2019, with the building being demolished soon afterwards.

Councillor Garry Shortland, the current mayor of Chard, promised at the public meeting on August 9 he would try to secure £10,000 of funding from Chard Town Council.

At a meeting held in Chard on Monday evening (August 20), the council exceeded this promise and pledged twice this amount towards the pool.

The council voted to grant £20,000 and said it would “offer any support this will enable match funding to be sought from other sources.

“This is a valuable resource for the residents of Chard and should be supported.”

To give to the Kingfisher Community Pool project online, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/kingfisher-communitypool.