Diving platform demolition postponed – for now
AN ELEVENTH-hour stay of execution has been secured for the diving platform at the bathing pools, but solutions to concerns raised by the Health & Safety Executive need to be found urgently, Environment & Infrastructure president Lindsay de Sausmarez said at the weekend.
About 300 people surrounded the bathing pools early on Sunday morning, after there was a call to arms late on Friday.
The HSE served a prohibition notice on the States for the platform, over concerns that the Victorian pool was too shallow for safe dives and that there was a lack of supervision while the board was in use.
The board was due to be removed tomorrow, but hurriedly-arranged meetings on Saturday between Deputy de Sausmarez and protest organisers and regular sea swimmers Adrian Sarchet and Mark Torode has allowed the board to stay for now.
Despite this, the gathering in support of the board still went ahead, in a bid to show the public strength of feeling.
Islanders of all ages were pouring down to the pool at 9am, many wrapped up and holding placards. A good handful of deputies were also present.
Mr Sarchet said he was blown away by islanders’ reaction.
‘The response has been spectacular,’ he said.
‘I was expecting 40 or 50 people. This incredible.’
Over the previous 36 hours there had been numerous offers of help, Mr Torode said, including from construction firms F Watson, Bob Froome and Fusion.
But there were also smaller offers, such as a school teacher suggesting her pupils could remove some of the smaller stones from the bottom when the pool was empty.
‘You can really see the community spirit,’ he said.
A small committee will now be formed to look at the next steps.
Mr Sarchet said they would ‘sanity-check’ the situation to see if there was a workable solution.
‘It may be the case that some of the issues we face are insurmountable, and the diving board still might have to be removed,’ he said.
‘But you have shown how much this diving board means to all of us.’
Deputy de Sausmarez confirmed she had been aware of risk assessments being carried out on the board after safety concerns were raised, and her committee had looked at options to resolve them. But the nature of the granite structure and a lack of funds had meant it had not seemed possible to find an answer.
‘We gave the tyres a really good kicking and tried to work it out,’ she said.
‘But at that stage we felt like we had no option. However, things have changed after this fantastic surge of interest, which is really exciting. I have to remain practical. The important thing is there is hope.’
She thanked the HSE for being prepared to work with the committee, but said it was important an answer was found in the coming weeks.
She said she understood how important the pool was to many islanders.
‘I have four children and we love coming here in the summer and have a swim and have all the childhood experiences I had,’ she said.
‘I really hope it will remain.’
