WITH more than eight years having passed since Aquasplash closed, a new community swimming pool is back on the agenda for Minehead Town Council, it was announced this week.


Speaking at Minehead Town Council on Tuesday evening, mayor Jean Parbrook said that the council is looking at whether it would be feasible to put a swimming pool in Irnham Road recreation ground.


Mrs Parbrook said the new Coastal Communities Team, which had replaced the Minehead Visioning Group, had been looking at ways to spend £10,000 in funding secured by their predecessors.


“One of the projects, which I have been looking at for some time, is the provision of a community swimming pool for Minehead,” said Mrs Parbrook.
“I truly believe that the health as well as well-being of Minehead residents would benefit enormously from such a project.”


The council has enlisted the help of Watchet’s Onion Collective director Naomi Griffith to help secure funding, and it has managed to get the project put into the Minehead's economic plan.


“Obviously, the Minehead Town Council does not have a spare two million pounds lying around to put towards this project so it was vital that it appeared in the economic plan,” added Mrs Parbrook.


With the football club planning to build new facilities and essentially downsizing, the council believes this is a good opportunity to look into the idea.
“In the past, Minehead Town Council has unfairly been accused of doing very little for the residents of the town. This project, though very ambitious, could be an opportunity to raise our profile & to secure a valuable asset for Minehead,” Mrs Parbrook said.