THE "original" Barbican Centre, in York, was going to be a water theme park with pools, chutes etc, long before the concert hall idea was implemented.

In the end the only alteration to the pools was the shutting down of the diving pit.

The February edition of Focus (Lib/Dem) says the proposed new pool at Oaklands will only be five lanes (Edmund Wilson is six lanes and not big enough) and that Edmund Wilson would only close "when" the new pool was open.

Yet it was stated the Priory Medical Centre would have to be removed for the new pool car park. Where will the Priory Centre be during the proposed change over?

At the risk of upsetting The Friends Of Hob Moor, the most logical idea is to build an eight-lane by 50 metre pool on the Edmund Wilson site, either towards Kingsway West or turning the pool the other way round into Hob Moor with adequate car parking. For once let's build up, instead of down. We seem to have this "keep it small" mentality in York.

If it was a two-tier building look at the gym/fitness area that could be created above the pool.

Paul Grant,

Ryecroft Avenue,

Woodthorpe, York.

Updated: 11:12 Wednesday, February 15, 2006