| Larkswood |
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 | Larkswood pool photographed in about 1955, from the Francis Frith collection (http://www.francisfrith.com) The weird looking thing at the bottom right hand corner of the picture is actually the logo used by the photo copyright holder. No permission has been sought to use this image. |
| Fantaseas opened in August 1990 and closed in January 1992, somehow managing to lose £6m! I attended some of the early meetings with the developers. They were fantasy merchants, with wholly unrealistic projections for the attendance rates they expected.At one meeting I asked the recreation officer (the chief as I recall) what was the best attendance rate at a pool ever in Waltham Forest. He gave me the figure. It was considerably lower than the minimum they needed to break even.
At the time my understanding was that the development company was putting its money where its mouth was. Even so I once asked Neil Gerrard why we were doing it. He replied that Chingford wanted a private solution so we were giving it to them. My understanding is that when the project eventually went belly up, the council had to pick up the tab, not the developers. Another example of drift. Once a project is agreed in principle it can completely change its nature yet so long as it is in the process it will probably keep getting propelled forward by some diabolical inertia. |
| Larkswood scheme 'may not go ahead'
THE multi-million pound development planned for Larkswood swimming pool may not go ahead. The plans have been thrown into jeopardy because the cost has soared way above the scheduled £4 million. The bombshell was dropped by the Planning Implementation Chairman Jo Brind last Wednesday at a stormy meeting of his committee, which nevertheless endorsed the scheme. If the proposals for a water park are eventually scrapped it will be a triumph for the many residents in the New road area of chingford who have opposed the scheme from the start. Mr Brind told the meeting: "There is a very high probability the plans may not go ahead at all." After the meeting he explained: "The reason is the financial appraisal hasn't stacked up in the way it should. It looks as though it may cost a lot more than we thought." He would not say exactly how much over the £4 million the price had risen, only that "it is an awful lot." For almost two hours councillors thrashed out the application to build the luxury water park, with many who backed the schemed in its outline stage last October changing their minds and strongly opposing it. The proposed pool complex would admit more than half a million people a year and include water slides, picnic areas and children's play areas. Councillor Clyde Kitson who in October was the only member against the plans, said: "If I owned a house in New road, I'd be selling it very quickly. "We've got to protect the community. We must not approve this application." Councillor Tony Simmons felt the attraction of the water palace would not last. He said: "As the skateboard went by the board, and the BMX went by the board,so the water palace will go by the board." He said: The traffic going to the pool will try to find every side-turning to avoid the main road, which will be severely congested." People in the public gallery shouted their opposition to council leaders. "You're turning a residential area into something unfit to live in,"was one cry. For about two minutes the uproar drowned Mr Brind's appeals for quiet. When peace was restored Council leader Neil Gerrard said he still stood by his original decision to go ahead with the plans, and alleged other councillors had suddenly changed their minds under public pressure. A 1004-signature petition from residents has already been sent to the council. Mr gerrard said: "I Still think that the scheme should carry on, and I've got the guts to admit it. "It is pathetic for people to come along tonight and pretend they have been converted. "I think this scheme is what is best for the site. the fact is the pool there now is dead-- we would probably be 0prosecuted under the health and safety act is we re-opened it." Chief Planner Bob Bennett said: "From a planning point of view the scheme is satisfactory." And Deputy Council leader Bill Dennis added: "What we've got to remember is we are sitting purely as a planning committee, and I don't believe there is a case for voting against the application." Councillor Richard Slack said: "You do occasionally have to over-ride local views to provide something that is of benefit to the borough as a whole." And Mr Brind added that if the plans were rejected, the land could be snapped up by a developer who would build something the public like even less. Finally the members voted and the water park was given the green light. But discussions on the Larkswood site were not over, as councillor then had to consider an application to build sheltered homes for elderly people there. They were generally in favour and the scheme was agreed. |
| This is clearly a report of the planning committee from one of the locals, probably the Waltham Forest Guardian.I have it as an attachment to a document headed LARKSWOOD WATER PALACE dated 24/4/88 |
| subject LARKSWOOD WATER PALACE
24/4/88 TO ALL COUNCILLORS Here goes GERRARD AGAIN!! CONFRONTATION 1004 signatures from people who live directly in the area as well as gallery outbursts against the project. As usual he is against the councillors who have the decency to change their minds because the people do not wish it. After all it is the people's money. He says he has got "the guts to stand by his convictions". Its not his guts we care about its about common sense prevailing as well as democracy, i.e. choice of votes. If a councillor changes his mind, Gerrard says "he has not got the guts" in other words CONFRONT. DO NOT WORRY WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT JUST CONFRONT. Let them scream. Gerrard and Dennis are nasty, nasty people they did it with the rates issue, to have a go at the Conservatives. They whacked up the rates by 62% irrespective of guaranteed rate capping, irrespective of 3 demonstrations by some 18,000 people, irrespective of the hardship it would cause. Just look where their confronting is getting them- Deakins arse kicked out of Walthamstow after 17 years. Beryl Eccleston arse kicked into third place in Labour strong hold of Higham Hill. The continuation of abusive hate mail In Vi Smith's case (not bomb case) a coffin was sent, plus she was nearly blown out of Winns Avenue. Mohammed Khan lost himself, in Waltham Forest. Then found himself living in the drive at Ilford. His favourite past time is hunt the treasurer. RATE ACTION GROUP FORMED Although they lost the court case they managed to drag the councillor through the courts for a very large proportion of people in the borough and actually made a few of them smarten up, instead of looking like a bunch of wino's as they do in the town hall. Cllr DENISE BLOWINBAG Got a hic-cup, when her was used in a flame throwing contest. SLACK DICK Sorry, Dick Slack resigned as his own little protest campaign, bless his little cotton socks. Should have joined the Liberals. They would have cured his problem. ARMAJIT DEVGUN How could he stoop so low? Left his wife to find a huge rate bill, got himself an instant council flat, left her with an unfinished extension. Did he get planning permission? He should have stayed with Ann, she would have done him a favour, as they did not get on she was sure to get his back up. We have yet to get the audit findings confirmed but we feel the councillors in the end, will pay dearly for the confrontations. And in 1990 Gerrard can drop his guts elsewhere. |
| See harassment campaign |
| From Wikipedia, May 3, 2008.
Fantaseas was a chain of indoor waterparks situated in the United Kingdom that opened in the late 1980s, but due to various technical and financial difficulties closed in the mid-nineties. The first was opened in Autumn 1989 on the outskirts of Dartford in Kent. The building contained six American-style water slides, a lazy river, wave pool, an outdoor heated lagoon as well as a cafe and gaming video arcade. Visible on the skyline from the nearby M25 motorway the building dominated the local landscape and became quite an icon of the town. A second opened in 1990 in Chingford, London and featured many of the same rides as the Dartford park, albeit in a different configuration. The Chingford park was considered by some to be 'tamer' than its Dartford counterpart, but still contained many of the same style of water slides as its predecessor. In the summer of 1992, it was found the foundations of the Dartford site were slowly sinking and were insufficient in the long term to take the weight of the building built on a hillside. Many considered the parks to be fads and typical of the grandiose get-rich-quick schemes of the time. In reality, the company encountered significant financial difficulties with a lack of attendance especially outside of the school holiday seasons. There were also several serious accidents at the Chingford park which tarnished the reputation of the company. This, coupled with high maintenance costs, raked up debts of over £6 million in an eighteen-month period. In December 1992,after a short life Fantaseas went into liquidation and both sites shut down. The Chingford site laid derelict for a decade before Waltham Forest Council built a new indoor pool on the site, Larkswood Leisure Centre, which is now shared with a private Green's leisure club and a restaurant. The Dartford site, in danger of collapsing due to subsidence, was demolished soon after its closure. The site still remains derelict today, with plans to turn the site into housing.The site is a former refuse dump .There is still evidence of the outdoor pool on the site . |
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| 1997/98 | 1998/99 | 1999/2000 | 2000/01 |
| 868,965 | 932,774 | 959,063 | 1,022,859 |
