Since Croydon Council adopted a leisure centre strategy over a year ago, just one thing has changed.

Instead of shutting Purley pool later this autumn as originally planned, the pool has been given a reprieve until 2010 so that its closure coincides with the opening of the first of the borough's new pools.

Peter Morgan (letters, July 2) and others know well that the eventual closure of Purley has never been exclusively about the cost of keeping it going.

Rather, it is to enable the complete redevelopment of the High Street site, which incorporates not just the present sub-standard pool but also the former Sainsbury's store and the multi-storey car park.

There is no point whatsoever in trying to isolate and preserve the pool and thereby impede a comprehensive mixed-use scheme in the centre of Purley.

The council believes that replacing the present uses with a project that includes a modern library and a cinema will be popular with a great many local residents from all backgrounds and age groups.

While the eventual closure of Purley may inconvenience a relatively small number of regular users, the two new pools nearby in Waddon and Coulsdon will bring healthy lifestyle opportunities to a far wider number of people.

And Purley residents will themselves have easier access to new cultural amenities as part of the district centre's regeneration scheme.

This is something that Purley councillors are supporting strongly in the best interests of securing value for money and a better deal for local people.

Coun Steve Hollands
Cabinet member for culture and sport