Sir – We constantly hear (from the same people) that the closure of Temple Cowley Pools, and replacing it with a new swimming pool at Blackbird Leys, would be a travesty — but how often does one consider the alternatives?

I, for one, am constantly fed up with hearing that building a new swimming pool is a ‘white elephant’ and a waste of money.

There was even a protester at the Olympic Torch event. How ironic that, at an evening dedicated to celebrating the ambitions of young people, there was someone dedicated to thwarting these dreams.

Temple Cowley Pool is a facility that is sadly coming to the end of its days; the pool was built in 1938 when there was no Greater Leys estate. A leaking roof and other recurring problems are indicators of the limited usable life of the facility.

A new pool will reduce annual running costs as well as placing more people within a 15-minute walk of the pool, whilst also being on an existing bus route.

Some say that Temple Cowley can be refurbished for £3m. Large-scale renovations are always more expensive than building from scratch and the final result is nearly always inferior. Sadly, leisure facilities and swimming pools in particular have a limited lifespan.

There are now only two possible outcomes: the closure of Temple Cowley and its replacement with a pool at Blackbird Leys or the closure of Temple Cowley pool.

Today City of Oxford Swimming Club is launching a campaign on behalf of the silent majority. Show the city and the club support by signing our petition and allowing swimmers the facilities they need to train in and the people of Oxford a local facility to use and be proud of at: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/oxford-new-pool-petition.html

Ian Smith , Chairman, City of Oxford Swimming Club, Oxford