We visited the newly opened Sandwell Aquatic Centre off Londonderry Road, Smethwick, when it opened to the public. As the Commonwealth Games showed the facilities are fantastic, and we hope Sandwell will still be able to attract national and international swimming events to the Centre. It is a facility Sandwell should be proud of, but a number of missed opportunities in its planning and design detract from that possibility.  The number of activities Sandwell residents will be able to enjoy there are also impressive, but the opening hours at weekends means people cannot make best use of them. This will influence the number of people who use the Centre and make it more likely that the running costs will become a burden on Sandwell tax payers.

We are also concerned that the location means it will not be easily accessible from many parts of Sandwell, especially for people who rely on public transport. Transport for West Midlands declined to consider additional routes to make it easier for people to get to the new Centre. The Council claims to be trying to improve air quality in Sandwell, but fails to act to do so by making it easy for people to use buses or bicycles to get around. Traffic pollution and poor air quality is one of the biggest health hazards people face and more needs to be done to encourage greater use of less polluting forms of transport.

Another missed opportunity is the refusal of the Council to consider an eco heating system for the Centre. The cost of energy has risen dramatically over the last two years, and an eco heating system would have meant that the Council is less vulnerable to fluctuations in the energy market and also reduced carbon emissions. We have asked why they refused to consider this, and have frequently raised the failure to ask for use of eco heating systems and proper insulation as condition for Planning permission in general.