Quote from the Wirral Globe - link underneath.

'PLANS to build a private health and fitness club complete with lido as part of New Brighton’s regeneration have been scrapped – to make way for a children’s play area.

Neptune Developments have confirmed that the original idea to create a new health club and outdoor swimming pool, will not come to fruition.

Instead in its place will be a large-scale children’s soft play area, while the proposed lido will be a splash pool for youngsters.'

Wirral Globe Article here


Quote from Councillor's blog and link:

'You may, or may not be aware but Neptune have had considerable difficulty in getting an organisation to take over and operate the health & fitness facility on the new development. Plan B was always to have a top notch children’s soft play area, probably one of the best in the country.
After much deliberation, the decision has been made to forge ahead with this option and a report is being prepared for Cabinet in early September.
The proposed lido is now likely to become a shallow splash pool facility, suitable for all ages which has the additional benefit of becoming an ice rink during the winter months.

Councillor Sue Taylor's Blog

I'm sure Adventureland are gonna be happy about that!

What a shame. I guess we'll have to carry on going all the way to Nantwich to enjoy their lido.

We already have two soft play centres that I know of, one at the Seacombe Ferry Terminal, been a while since I've been there but assume it's still there and a large one at Adventureland!!!

Given that Adventureland caters for smaller children with their own softplay centre and small fairground with kiddy rides and now the new development will cater for small children, what will the teenagers have?? and how does ANOTHER soft play centre enhance the area???

Gibbo's response is exactly what other potential visitors to the area will think, why bother coming when we can go somewhere else........

Hmmm, kind of like the idea of a splash pool for the little ones but hate that the older kids wont get a lido, the pool would of bought in a lot of revenue for the town and it would of been nice to have something to rival birkenheads Europa.

Totally agree about "another soft play area!" Theres also Monkey house in Manor road and the (excuse me if I get the name wrong) Derby Pool (?) also have a soft play area dont they.

Why dont they ask residents what we need! My daughter and friends have to travel into Moreton or Aintree to go skateboarding/bmxing as we only have "the bowl" at tower grounds - which is as it sounds, a bowl, totally usuitable for the amount of kids that want to use it. Now bear in mind that these kids arent the hooligans that cause crap they're kids with a hobby and they just want a suitable place to practice in without being in peoples way. How hard would it be to build another skate/bmx park similar to the one in Moreton.

Even a free playground would be more suitable for the area than another soft playarea which is going to steal business from already long long established places.

they should be looking at what people would most benefit from that we have missing locally.

Would an outdoor pool become a white elephant like the pools previously at New Brighton and Harrison Drive? They were ok the odd day in the summer when it was warm but not used much at other times.

What facilities do teenagers want these days, and does the local authority take into account their views, and have the means to set-up and maintain with paid staff and volunteers whatever is given the go-ahead?

The area that the site is built on was regularly used a lot by young teens skate boarding and BMX biking. Surely there was a BIG clue there.

There already is a bmx thing in New Brighton so there's no need for another one.

I didn't see the point of an outdoor pool, but I was looking forward to having a gym of some description close by. They would have been better having an indoor pool, especially if Guinea Gap is to close.

What we don't need down here is more stuff for kids! The only plus point to having more kids crap is that it's down the other end so hopefully will keep them away from this end

JUST HURRY UP AND OPEN BLOODY MORRISONS

Where is there a bmx thing? Do you mean the bowl at tower grounds that I already mentioned?

Yes. I didn't see you mention it as I just skimmed over the posts. I think the problem is, no matter how big a bmx/skateboard thing they build, it won't be big enough. There was a massive one built not far from where I lived in Cambridge and it was very soon outgrown. That has metal and wooden ramps including an approximately 8' quarter pipe, 6' spine, 5' jump box, 6' roll-in, 4ft quarter pipe, flat bank, a fun box and a grind box. They are still asking for more ramps etc.

Its really not suitable hun, its pitifully small for the amount of kids that are wanting to use it and its not very suitable for skateboarders, it really needs expanding or something else built for them.

I can't see them doing it as it's only for a "minority" of people. I agree that thankfully they're not the usual kind of feral louts we get round here and it is a shame there isn't more for them, but I have a feeling that if it won't bring the money into the area, they won't be interested.

Yes somethink should of been done for the teens they have had nothing round hear for years, everything is fast food and shops, the oldies have there bingos, play grounds for the younger kids.

The oldies have their bingo????? JC

Agree that there should be somewhere for the skateboarders and BMXers to break their necks in isolation. If they need more ramps etc. then build them, it keeps them off the streets and doing it in public places where they are liable to injure pensioners on their way to bingo.

I agree, there should be a decent bmx/skate park for the youths instead of them just hanging around streets. There is plenty of soft play areas for "kiddies" but not a lot for youths nowadays (never know we might have a tony hawks on wirral).
Anyways my suggestion for Neptune would be to build a new Pier in New Brighton, that would bring tourist here and spend money in other projects aswell. Nearest Piers are Southport and Llandudno (i thinks)and southport one is very busy in the summer. Another added benefit would be the fishing off it as there are a lot of fishermen on wirral (checkout wallasey prom on the w/ends).
What do you thinks peeps?
M

Hi Frog Eyes. What Bingo! I don't know any oldies that play Bingo.We're nowadays 'recycled teenagers' and having a ball. I went to Bingo once and wild horses would have to drag me to go again.

Some like Bingo, but it is a bit ageist to presume it is typical of older people, such as that stupid road sign showing two elderly people with sticks bent double,to warn drivers to slow down. Most elderly people don't relate to this stereotyping.
It's like thinking all young people are hoodies, yobs, and a nuisance,which is far from the truth.

Lmao!! I know bingo is not for all old folk, ( I have been meself) just like most kids/teens dont like bmx/skate parks, and thats my ponit theres nothink for the kids of today, I was pointing out what's around Wallasey as a whole not just newbrighton..

Well, am gutted. the lido was the main thing that i was looking forward to.

LMAO--Good job that does not happen to some Wiki members. If it happened they would not be able to talk through same, though of course that does not include you Frog Eyes.

How about a nice rose garden for us olds to sit in, get away from the noise of the youngies. Nice little drinkie in peace, lovely

hell are Pearl we get done if yer get the Tini out these days.

Are you old enough to remember the Rose Garden in Earlston Park with the alcoves with wooden seats? We went with my Gran and played about as she had a sit down.The perfume was lovely and it is a memory of happy days. We seemed to get more sunny days just after WW11.

that's lovely paxo i do remember the rose garden in central park.

elsie from the centre and her fella was cort with a bevvy in vale park but just got a tellin off

Wasn't the bevi those two dirty ticket got told of for ye silly bimbo, she got cought hitchin her stockins up

no way dirty old bid

This was the plan all along and anyone who thinks differently is naive. Look how suddenly it was decided that a casino should be built and lo it was allowed because of some obscure wording in the contract. Never mentioned in the original plans.

If there was any real intention of building a swimming pool, (I hate this lido business, very southern), they would have constructed one of a decent size that had an opening roof that could have been used all year around.

Hoping for a pier? Doubt it very much and even if they built one it would more or less just be a jetty of sorts.

This is big business and you will get what they want and there is nothing you we can do about it.

i think something for the 99per cent of good teenages who respect and treat ppl properly would love to have some where to go and enjoy themselves.

it would be nice for the kids round here to have something like rampworks in aintree my 12 year old wouldnt have to travel so far.I worry about him going over there even though he's with his mates,at least he wouldnt have so far to travel.

How about a short pier or jetty with a ramp at the end of it?

I think its brilliant what they are doing with New Brighton, yeah! lets bring back the pier, dont know what it is but there is something romantic about strolling down a pier, and also lets bring back a landing stage at the end of it, so the ferry can come back too.
Oh, and one more thing,lets ditch that awful clown thats suppose to "welcome" people to the area from Harrison drive end!

Ditto to that, its quite pricey as well when you add travel costs, although my daughter did find a 2 for 1 offer on the website. I think if they opened something in New brighton for them and charged £5 - £7 per entry theyd do a roaring trade, even about £10 for a whole day stay would be worth it! Its never going to happen though

This development is just becoming more and more of a disappointment.

I expect that the young teens will rig up their own ramps etc. in the car parks of the Lido in the evening, thinking 'oh! what might have been'

This whole development is a real disappointment now. Who is attracted to a leisure destination that contains two massive soft play areas, a Morrisons, a Home & Bargain and a load of scruffy landscaping.
Liscard Mk II.

Planning still has to be approved, but, I think it sounds like a done deal. However, it's apparently what is wanted locally. Nobody asked me.

Sounds like they got the planning permission through the back door, promise a Lido/Health Club (without any business plan) to gain approval for the other high profit parts of the development.

Have you seen the size of the outdoor pool they have built, it's a joke, the model boating lake is bigger.

I was shocked how small the supposed sports centre is, completely overshadowed buy the commercial side of this development, am I surprised not that it's going to become a glorified ball pond - NO! for well over thirty years I've listened and read so much cr&p about what is going to be done to New Brighton. All I expect to see now is a supermarket and a load of empty shop units with ridiculously high rents.

This has been nothing but an excuse to build a supermarket, give it a year and the cinema will be closed and the rest of the shop units boarded up - or am I just a pessimist?

This is sounding to be yet another development by the local outfit Envelope, Brown, Bung & Co.Ltd. Sounds of back doors banging in the wind.

I feel sorry for the New Brighton folk who have (maybe) been led up the garden path.

ianhearse - you ain't alone in being a pessimist !

Youre not talking about the little swimming pool near to the boating lake are you? I assumed that pathetic thing was to do with the Travel Lodge place - is that really what they intended to be the public pool!?

Jeez they should finish it off and hand that over to skateboarders - I've seen lordz of dog town, I've seen what these kids can do in empty pools

agree aswell they want older children of the streets something like this would most likely be enjoyed by older children especially my 14 and 16 year old children