PLANNING permission has been given for a £250,000 development of Wiveliscombe’s outdoor swimming pool despite heritage objections which said it would impact on the look of the neighbouring war memorial recreation ground.

Somerset Council planning officer Rebecca McAndrew said the benefits to the community outweighed the harm the development would cause in what was a conservation area.

Ms McAndrew said revisions to the design of a proposed new pool house made during the course of the application would improve its fit with the historic setting.

She said although the plans would result in some heritage harm, the scheme offered significant public benefits, including accessible facilities, community space, and support for pool sustainability.

The Wivey Pool proposal was to demolish some old timber sheds and build a new pool house to provide a warm area for swimmers and spectators, and to be used as a lifesaving skills training centre.

The new building would be predominantly single-storey with a roof terrace above and would be 21 feet tall, an increase of eight feet.

Ms McAndrew said the outdoor public swimming pool, built in 1927, was recognised as a ‘non-designated heritage asset’, as was the nearby war memorial ground and sports pavilion, while there was also a grade two listed obelisk and drinking fountain close by.

She said best practice would have involved designing the new pavilion based on a thorough assessment of its significance and setting, but it appeared the design was carried out first.

However, subsequent amendments, including the removal of a proposed sail on the upper deck and the use of wooden cladding instead of concrete had helped to better assimilate it into the sensitive area.

The council’s conservation officer Kerry Kerr-Peterson formally objected to the plans and said although harm to the conservation area was at the lower end of the scale, it was still ‘real and irreversible’.

Ms Kerr-Peterson said the principal of providing more accessible and improved community facilities for Wivey Pool was supported and its communal value was fully appreciated.

She said: “After all, conservation is the management of change.”

But, Ms Kerr-Peterson said there were concerns relating to the design of the pool house, and achieving well-designed places ‘is fundamental to what the planning and development process should achieve’.

Ms Kerr-Peterson said the nearby Wiveliscombe Rugby Clubhouse was ‘a negative building’ in the conservation context but was not a precedent for making matters worse with further unsuitable development.

Wivey Pool’s planning agent, Rebecca Randall, of Polden Planning, said: “The provision of a new pavilion building would secure the long-term sustainability of Wivey Pool for the benefit of the community and its health and recreational offer.

“The sustainable future of the swimming pool is of direct heritage benefit to the experience and understanding of the recreation ground, and the latter’s heritage significance.”

Ms Randall said the development was small-scale in nature and the new pavilion would be complementary to the existing community and recreation facilities while having only a negligible impact on the area’s listed features.