No cash to save crumbling lido (From Barry And District News)

No cash to save crumbling lido

BARRY councillors are blasting the local authority over plans to spend millions in the Vale whilst watching the rotting Knap Lido crumble.

Plaid Cymru representatives are furious that the council plan to pour millions into the Penarth Headland Link but have failed to come up with the cash to save the pool. They acknowledge the proposed walkway that would join the Penarth Esplanade to the lucrative Cardiff Bay is good news for the town but say Barry is in greater need.

Barry councillor Steffan William claims the local authority has constantly overlooked the Knap in favour of other high-profile developments.

He told the News: "It's disgusting that this leadership can even consider the idea of spending millions of pounds on completing the Penarth Headland link. I think they have a moral duty to maintain the resources they already have."

He also concerned over rumours that the Lido site will be sold to private housing developers.

He said: : "The idea of sacrificing this land or the former Knap pool for building apartments is to be opposed.

"The Plaid Cymru group is disturbed to witness the readiness of the Tory leadership to allocate so much funding to the link while claiming no money can be made available for the Knap.

"I think that failing to improve the Knap area and neglecting it for years has nothing to do with the lack of finance and everything to do with a lack of will on behalf of the present leadership."

He added: "Barry has been allowed to decline for far too long. This insulting treatment of the people must stop now and the first step in undoing the damage should be in ensuring the Knap is now the council's top priority."

Steffan's view is echoed by many locals who are horrified at the uncertain fate of the Knap Pool.

And in recent months, John Smith MP has spoken out against the idea of a housing development at the Knap saying facilities in the Vale area are already over-stretched.

Despite repeated attempts, the Vale of Glamorgan Council failed to supply a comment before the News went to press.

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