I HAVE read with care the report on the consultation over the lido pool and the earlier documentation about the parish vote etc.

One consistent message within all of this is that the pool should be suitable for swimming in. Yet despite this I note the current plan persists with the idea of a pool no more than 1.4 metres in depth, which will not achieve this objective. Indeed at this maximum depth it is questionable whether you could still call it a swimming pool or lido without danger of infringing trade description.

Aside from any argument of aesthetics and focusing entirely on the business case it makes no sense to reduce the options for flexibility in use. Restricting the potential uses of this space constrains the options for revenue generation and reduces the return on investment that this capital sum demands. And as such makes no business sense.

Having visited the site it is also spurious for the council to argue, as has been reported in the press, that the pool cannot be deeper than 1.4m because of the adjacent wet play area and the risk of toddlers falling in and drowning. Apart from the fact this risk could be easily dealt with by erecting a barrier, the depth is not the relevant issue here. It is possible to drown in less than three inches of water and as the pool will have life guards on duty this argument is a mere red herring.

The council, which planned to bulldoze the lido, has to be commended for taking due account of the views of its constituents and changing its decision. It was a mature and reasoned action representing all that is best about the democracy in which we live. So having been humble enough to change course please do not now spoil such noble action and deliver a second best result.

Mrs Caroline Bishop

The Oaklands

Droitwich Spa