Swimming baths are now sunk without a trace

3:52pm Friday 10th December 2004

THE skyline of Twickenham has changed forever. The swimming baths which have dominated the town's political life for the past 20 years have finally tumbled to the ground.

Passers-by have been stopping to gape at the gap on the riverside site, where the crumbling art-deco building has been replaced by hoardings backed by a new view of trees and a greater expanse of sky.

In the spring it is hoped that visitors will begin to flock to the site which is set to become an open space and children's playground while its long-term future is decided.

A woodland area, a mural and new plants will be among the attractions, while the council are also seeking planning permission to install a temporary caf and toilets on the site.

Site manager Adrian Davanzo said the contractors have heard many positive comments about the change. "Most people are pleased that it has come down. It is a good project, to provide the community with an area where they can come down and relax," he said.

The old swimming pool has been filled in with 1,500 tonnes of 'hard core' and numerous huge bins have carried away the old building. Among the general rubbish the contractors also had to handle many old syringes which were littered around the site.

The council officer responsible for the site, Tom McKevitt said: "We are realistic about the need to solve the problem in the long-term and we will carry on in the way we have been in the next two years, doing what we think is right."