Bowls club members came out in full force, advocating that their facilities should not be cut back to make way for a new swimming pool.

Members of the Lynnsport Bowls Club were holding placards and cheering at drivers sounding their horns before West Norfolk Council’s full meeting on Thursday.

However, during the meeting, deputy council leader Simon Ring reassured club members that their concerns had been considered and was not a “tick box exercise”.

The club shared discrepancies with the data collected by council staff to determine where the new swimming pool should be built.

West Norfolk Council has proposed to replace the ageing St James Swimming Pool with a modern new pool at Lynnsport, which would see the existing bowls hall – home to five rinks since the centre opened in 1991 – demolished and replaced with a much smaller two-rink facility.

‘Everyone loves to play’

Some of the 180 concerned members expressed concerns that the council’s suggestion to reduce the five-rink facility to two could force the club to close.

They say that five rinks are needed for the group, which has seen an increase in members since the Covid pandemic, and argued that rink usage has been up by 90% since 2022.

Committee member Ian Whiley expressed his concerns for members’ mental health if they were unable to play the sport, as well as vulnerable people who enjoy playing.

“A lot of people with mental health issues come to play bowls, it really helps them,” he said.

“Everyone loves to play, that’s why we are here today. Doing this would kill league play.”

Another member, Mick King, added: “We wouldn’t be able to accommodate older people who cannot drive if we went to another venue.”

“We are hoping the council will keep us open and that there will be at least four rinks for us to use,” Mr Whiley added.

Bowls club member Kwai Li also expressed concerns for the gymnastics club, which could also see its facilities shrink.

“I agree that the town needs a new swimming pool, but why shrink the bowls and gymnastics facilities when they are going so well?” he said.

Lynnsport’s gymnastic group currently has around 1,000 members, with another 100 on its waiting list.

‘It is important we get these figures right’

Concerns about data retrieved by council staff in relation to the swimming pool project were raised by the bowls club members.

The council voted in favour of recalling a report which included “outdated” information about the Lynnsport site, with some of it allegedly dating back as far as 2021.

In response, Cllr Ring did admit that he was concerned with some of the data himself when he saw reports claiming that some sports clubs had closed down, when they were actually still open.

In response to members’ concerns, Cllr Ring said: “The views expressed by your club are being carefully considered. They were discussed at a working group meeting yesterday.

“We remain committed to listening to the 150,000 voices in West Norfolk. A decision will be made in January. It is important that we get these figures right.

“It is not acceptable that data has been reshared without changes to the data. We have got to make sure that the data is accurate.”

Cllr Brian Long shared his concerns with the data, too. He also said he had received a letter from a lady who has been playing bowls for 38 years.

“We have got to do right by these people, this sport is their passion, it gets them to meet friends,” he said.

Where else could the pool go?

During the full meeting, Cllr Alexandra Kemp argued that a swimming pool would be better suited to being in Lynn town centre.

She said that swimmers who do not have a car may struggle to get to the Lynnsport site, but was challenged by Cllr Ring, who pointed out the bus services connecting the town centre and Lynnsport.

Cllr Kemp suggested refurbishing the St James Swimming Pool so that it could remain in the town centre.

Cllr Ring pointed out that this suggestion would mean that people in Lynn would be without swimming pool facilities for at least two years while this work is carried out.

He added that the swimming club at the pool is “very happy” with the proposed new pool at Lynnsport.

Cllr Jaqueline Fry asked what would be done with the St James site once a pool at Lynnsport is completed.

“Once vacated, it will be closed down and it will be ready for investment,” Cllr Ring said.

“Anyone who lives in Lynn will realise it is in a phenomenal space, overlooking a beautiful park and close to a multi-story car park.

“I would suggest the site would be great for a boutique hotel.”