Plans to turn Edinburgh warehouse into "much needed" pool for kids refused despite local support

A bid to turn an Edinburgh warehouse into a “much needed” pool for young children to learn to swim has been refused despite significant local support.

Councillors threw out plans to redevelop a unit at Bankhead industrial estate in Sighthill as the change of use was not deemed acceptable. One said it was vital to protect industrial and business units “for the future of the city”.

However over 100 people wrote to the council backing the proposals, telling the local authority there was a lack of availability of swimming lessons locally. Council-owned Edinburgh Leisure has been forced to cut classes at some leisure centres amid recruitment challenges, including at Dalry Swim Centre, which is among the pools closest to the industrial estate.

One supporter of the plans said: “I noticed a huge decrease in the number of swimming lessons available post-pandemic compared to before. This project could be the start of something amazing to address these lesson shortages and make lasting impacts for generations to come.”

Another added: “This is very much needed in Edinburgh to get children swimming and to have appropriate facilities.”

While council planners said they took the high number of comments in favour of the application into consideration when giving their recommendation to the planning sub-committee, they concluded that use of the unit as a swimming pool would “undermine the provision of business and industry units”.

They said: “The potential benefits of the proposal do not outweigh the longer-term negative impact that the loss of allocated space for business and industry floorspace within the city.”

This view was unanimously upheld by councillors. Councillor Hal Osler, convener, said despite having “an enormous amount of sympathy” with applicant Karina Reinhardt, the site had been “designated as a particular type of site”.

She added: “As we have had quite a number of times already, once something’s gone it’s gone and it’s very difficult to bring certain things back.”

Councillor Neil Gardiner said: “These kind of jobs are important to so many people in this city. Edinburgh used to be a brewing centre – there’s a Paolozzi brewery in Sighthill industrial estate, there’s lots of opportunities for other uses like that to congregate there. We need to protect land for the future of the city.”