Pool owners vow to ignore council closure order

A private swimming pool business has vowed to stay open despite a local council's insistence it must close in June.

Ossett Leisure was told to shut its pool to customers by Wakefield Council after a planning inspector ruled the operation was "harmful" to nearby residents

But the business owners said they have no intention of closing and have claimed no neighbours have complained about the pool since it opened towards the end of 2024.

But the local authority has said the pool, which operates from a detached bungalow on Station Road, must shut by 17 June this year.

Owner Jon Gardiner told the BBC he intended to introduce a number of measures he believed would alleviate the noise and parking concerns expressed by the planning authorities.

These include removing amplified music and reducing sizes of organised parties at the facility, which has attracted 1,000 swimmers a month, from 12 to 10.

He said that although some residents had complained about noise during construction work at the property in 2024, the business had had "zero complaints" since opening "18 months ago".

Wakefield Council initially refused the venture planning permission two years ago, before the government's Planning Inspectorate subsequently upheld that decision after Mr Gardiner appealed.

Mr Gardiner said: "We've caused no disruption or upset to anyone.

"It's just been a blunt refusal. There's been no conversation and I feel victimised by them.

"The support we've had from customers has been unbelievable. We've had hundreds of people contact us to say how sorry they are that we've been told to close.

"There's more cars parked on the street on market days in Ossett [than for here], or if there's big events on."

Mr Gardiner said he intended to submit a new planning application ahead of the June deadline in an effort to keep the pool open.

Joe Jenkinson, service director for planning at Wakefield Council, said: "This application was refused on a number of grounds - including insufficient information from the applicant about noise nuisance, concerns about vehicle parking and road safety and about the impact of the development on the conservation area in Ossett."

Jenkinson said the council had refused the application after weighing the benefits of the scheme against the "adverse impacts".

He added: "The Planning Inspectorate is completely independent of the council, and having looked at it impartially, they also deemed the use to be unacceptable."

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