Games committee to be shown plans of new Belfast pool

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32439, 28 October 1970, Page 18

Games committee to be shown plans of new Belfast pool

Tentative plans for a swimming complex at Belfast will be submitted to the Commonwealth Games Association for its consideration, with a view to having the pool made the venue for the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch. The president of the Belfast Swimming Club (Mr J. E. Hancox) outlined the plans to a meeting of the Canterbury Swimming Centre’s management committee last evening. After discussing the possibilities of the pool being used as the Games venue, the meeting moved that the plans be passed to the Games association for its considera-

tion and that the Waimairi County Council be asked to give favourable consideration to building the complex in a developing residential area. Mr S. Williams said the Games promotion committee probably attributed part of its success at Edinburgh to the fact that the Centennial Pool would be used as the 1974 venue. The Belfast club had now submitted an alternative proposal and before it could succeed the Games association would have to be approached to see if it was possible.

Mr Hancox said Ms club was only seeking a recommendation from the centre at this stage as it had been directed by the Waimairi County Council to approach the centre before the Games committee. The management committee chairman (Mr D. R. Truscott) said the council had obviously told the Belfast club to approach the centre first as the best channel of communication. Mr Williams said the thing for Christchurch to do in the future was to have a main pool near the centre of the city

surrounded by subsidiary pools and it was desirable that these be built as soon as possible. Mr D. P. Johnson said the Waimairi council was beginning what could possibly be a “white elephant.” Mr Hancox said it was envisaged that the council, the Canterbury centre, the Commonwealth Games committee and the club itself would provide the finance for the pool. The sum would probably be in the vicinity of slm. He said the club had about $7OOO which it was prepared to put to its cost. Mr J. Monck said the idea was commendable but he could not see the centre being able to support the project to the extent envisaged. Mr Williams said he felt the Waimairi council was faced with a fairly heavy and costly project and that “it had tossed the ball in someone else’s court” Mr Hancox said he would prefer not to com-

ment on that statement. Mr Williams said that if the centre decided the Belfast pool was a good thing for the Games it would recommend it to the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association to be the one for the Games. However, by

► the time planning was completed • and necessary channels gone • through, six vital months could • be frittered away and then the » council might then say it would j not help finance the scheme. The club should go straight . to the Games organising commitj tee and find out if it was pre- . pared to change its mind over » the swimming venue, said Mr ■ Williams. Nothing would please . him more than for Belfast to i have the complex built because lit would be of considerable i benefit to the people in that ; area. If the scheme was accepted j and the new complex built, Mr 1 Williams said plans for the » Centennial Pool would cease im- » mediately, and he asked if the } centre would be prepared to . face the loss of this facility, r The delay in building the comt plex would be minimal, said Mr » Hancox, and it would probably I take less than the two years . proposed for the alterations to the Centennial Pool. Officials.—Mr D. P. Johnson and Mrs Johnson were appointed manager and chaperon of the Canterbury age*group and open swimming teams for the respective national championships at Palmerston North in February.