THE Alliance Party is engaged in a last ditch effort to save from closure an east Belfast leisure centre named after DUP leader Peter Robinson.
Its Belfast group at City Hall has opposed a council proposal to demolish the Robinson Centre, calling for it to be renovated to provide facilities for the area until a replacement can be built.
Belfast City Council inherited the complex from the now defunct Castlereagh Borough Council.
It said yesterday that a report into health and safety issues at the Robinson Centre revealed extensive work is required to deal with "significant levels of asbestos and legionella present in the building to make it safe for use".
It said "extensive improvement works" to bring the building up to" a satisfactory operating standard" would cost "a conservative £5 million".
The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee has said it should not be reopened and that the council should focus on the provision of a new centre for east Belfast.
However, this has to be ratified by the full council which meets on June 1 and is also subject to the outcome of the judicial review, scheduled for September,
Alliance councillor Michael Long said the proposal was "not acceptable".
"It will leave east, and much of south, Belfast with one council-run pool for a period of up to four years," he said.
"It would also result in the decimation of the city's swimming clubs making it almost impossible for elite swimmers to train adequately in Belfast."
He added: "In 2003, Alliance led the battle to keep the centre open when its closure was proposed before and it looks like we will again have to take a lead in trying to maintain the centre again."
He called for "accurate costings" and a renovation timescale. The council has said that "interim measures" for the east of the city are "under consideration" adding it intended to talk to residents about the plans for the area.
