South Woodham's new swimming pool is set to open later this month - after decades of campaigning.

The 25 metre pool, sited in the town centre at the William de Ferrers school, will cater for a senior school, six primary schools and an 18,000 population.

This should not prove as arduous as it first seems, largely thanks to a submersible boom and moving floor.

"Effectively it gives us two pools, we can have two age groups being taught at the same time," said centre manager John Ayris.

In just four minutes the boom, like a wall, can be raised up from a 1.8 metre deep slot at the bed of the pool, creating a solid division.

The floor is then adjusted to suit the needs of the class taking place.

This technology will clearly go a long way in ensuring maximum use, but functionality is found everywhere else through the building too.

The large reception area has been created to give an impression of space and has room to sit beside windows facing the pool.

The unisex "changing village" has also been thoughtfully designed, with both public and private showers and a combined shower and toilet room for disabled swimmers.

Jon Lyons, Chelmsford Borough Council's sports and recreation manager, explained: "From the safety point of view, the changing rooms can be viewed from the pool side, in fact all of the walkways are all open, there are no dead ends.

"The design of the public and private showers comes from talking to people and tries to please everyone."

Although sessions for local schools are on the timetable, the pool will be open for public use most of the time, with water polo, aqua aerobics and scuba diving among classes.

The complex, which includes new flood-lit courts and an extended gym, has also shed its name of William de Ferrers sports centre and has been renamed South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre, to highlight its status as a public facility.

The pool is provisionally set to open on January 24.

With the aid of bright lighting and a modern blue and yellow colour scheme, with red and green in reception, the aim had been to simply create an "enjoyable place to swim", said Mr Lyons.

John Ayris, who has managed the centre for 20 years, thinks the building has achieved that: "It outweighs my expectations.

"It's impressive building without being over the top, it's functional but also very welcoming and looks like a nice place to swim," he said.

Call 01245 329535 for information on the timetable or visit the centre.

Published Friday January 14, 2005

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