A final piece of Burnham-On-Sea’s dismantled beach boating pool will not be retained after all, the district council has decided this week.
Burnham-On-Sea.com reported at the weekend how contractors working on the demolition had reserved a final chunk of the landmark, pictured here, so that it could be moved onto The Esplanade alongside a new plaque.
However, it has since been decided that the concrete will not be saved after all.
Sedgemoor District Council spokeswoman Claire Faun told Burnham-On-Sea.com on Tuesday afternoon (March 16th): “In conversation between the contractors and an employee, it was mooted that part of the structure may be retained.”
“In no way was it every planned for, or a definite instruction. The remaining piece was left in situ by the contractors, but it has now been removed.”
She added: “Burnham boating pool was built privately in the 1920 as a thanksgiving gesture by a family for the safe return of five sons from the Great War, rather than a memorial to the fallen. I have been in contact with the family and they are fully understanding of and sympathetic to the situation and the lack of funds. They are pleased that a supplementary plaque will be put up in the future.”
The controversial work to remove the pool began on Wednesday and is being completed this week.
Burnham-On-Sea.com was first to report last summer that the landmark was in jeopardy when cash-strapped Sedgemoor District Council said it was launching a study into the cost of the repairs needed to retain it.
District councillors voted in December to have the pool removed due to a combination of costly repairs and safety concerns. The district council admitted in January that the bill to tax payers of demolishing it would be £9,800.
The beach looks more empty without the familiar boating pool in place
