Blue Lagoon was Hunstanton swimming pool predecessor to Oasis leisure centre

Last Thursday afternoon I attended a meeting of the Hunstanton Advisory Group at the invitation of West Norfolk Council.

Readers probably picked up on the fact that since the first meeting was held ‘virtually’ on March 22, the word Board has been changed to Group. Another change relates to sectors of the Hunstanton community to be represented on this group.

I volunteered to take part because of my participation in similar groups dating back over more than half a century. It is a well established fact that if you fail to learn from past mistakes then you will always be in danger of repeating them.

In an attempt to justify my continued presence within the Group, I recalled the so-called “bubble” debacle, which led to the unwarranted demolition of the Blue Lagoon public swimming pool in 1967, in order to facilitate the construction of an all-weather entertainment centre, under a dome-shaped roof.

This scheme was conceived by Hunstanton Urban District Council in the decade leading up to local government reorganisation in 1974, but by the narrowest of margins it was voted down, mainly due to public pressure channeled through a Ratepayers and Residents Association.

Sadly, this came too late to save the swimming pool, and the town had to wait until 1984 for the Oasis Leisure Centre to open.

The reason for mentioning this now is because the Oasis is nearing the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced.

With perfect timing, towards the end of last week’s Group meeting, the leader of West Norfolk Council, Stuart Dark appeared on the scene with news of a government scheme, which could release sufficient funds to provide new and improved facilities, before the Oasis has to follow the Blue Lagoon into the pages of local history books.

The government has clearly had a lot to deal with in recent months, so it is understandable that there is limited time available to the council when it comes to meeting deadlines.

However, there is a consultation in progress right now to enable local residents to say where they think a swimming pool and leisure complex should be located.

My personal preference would be for a decent sized pool on the site of the Blue Lagoon, dedicated to Miss Mercedes Gleitze (famous swimmer). Alternatively, next to Smithdon High School, to ensure that all students are given the opportunity to learn how to swim and save lives...

John Maiden