BORDON’S Garrison Pool, closed since January and available only for use by the military, is to open again by public demand in the new year.

Whitehill Town Council will pay £12,000 toward the £117,000 needed to keep it running, but only on a year’s trial so members can see how much it is used.

The funding will also enable the former Army sports pitches, next door, to be kept open for public use.

It was at the town council’s annual meeting, in the spring, that residents said they wanted the pool, in Budds Lane, to be kept open after the Army left.

Since then, East Hampshire District Council, Whitehill Council and the Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company, have worked together to find a way of keeping it.

The Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company - a Taylor Wimpey and Dorchester Regeneration joint venture working for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation - aims to build “a new community at Prince Philip Barracks”.

“If you don’t use it (the pool) you will lose it” was the message from Whitehill Town Council at its meeting on Monday, when they agreed to the £12,000 funding for the pool, which opened in the 1970s and was financed and run by Army but was always open to the public as well.

The councillors voted to revoke their earlier decision not to fund the Garrison Pool, made in September, and then, on agreeing the funding to re-open it, they set the strict condition that the pool was effectively marketed and did not compete with the town’s Mill Chase Leisure Centre.

They said the decision did not commit the council to future funding of the pool all the way up to 2019, when it is hoped a six-lane pool will be built in the new sports centre as part of the town redevelopment.

East Hampshire District Council is contributing £21,000 and the Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company £75,000 so, as a proviso, Whitehill Town Council also agreed, if there was a reduction in costs of operating the Garrison Pool by the Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company, this reduction should be shared equitably between the three parties.

Whitehill Town Council leader Adam Carew said the order to revoke the Sept-ember decision had come about because the council now had a new offer on the table, from the Regeneration Company, which came with a business plan and safeguards for the council’s money.

But councillor David Cooper said: “We are still going to have to pay the £12,000 and we don’t have £12,000. I say we need more information.”

But the vote was 13 to one, with one abstention, to revoke the September decision.

After the meeting, asked if the council did have £12,000 to give toward the cost of the pool, Mr Carew said: “We do not have to worry about offering the money as we have plenty in our general reserves. Our council finances are in an excellent state thanks to our clerk and financial officer Chris Youngs, who got us through a very dark period.

“We want to keep the Garrison Pool from closing and now we have a business plan and safeguards in place so it was agreed we offer the £12,000, but only for a year to see how things go. If it goes well, we will then look again at the situation.

“However, as we agreed, it must complement the Mill Chase Leisure pool offering the public a choice.

“We have also stipulated that once the funding from all three sources is in place, the Garrison Pool must be marketed so people know it is there and use it. If they don’t use it, it won’t stay open. I am absolutely delighted with the result.

“Providing first-class community facilities is a vital part of the regeneration of Whitehill and Bordon and plans for a new swimming pool, gym, children’s play areas and skatepark are all part of the town’s future.

“Keeping the Garrison Pool open before the new facilities are built demonstrates our commitment to providing the best facilities for town residents.

“This funding agreement has given us the chance to keep the pool running for another year.

“We can now follow its progress over the year and gauge how many people use it.”

Julie Butler, East Hampshire District Council’s portfolio holder for communities, said: “This is great news for the residents of Whitehill and Bordon who were very clear about their desire to retain the pool.”

James Child, of The Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company, said: “We are pleased to have the support of East Hampshire District Council and Whitehill Town Council to ensure the Garrison Pool is retained. The pool is obviously of great value to the town’s residents and we are committed to ensuring they have continued access to facilities while the wider regeneration of Whitehill and Bordon takes place.”

A Garrison Pool spokesman said that because of the deployment of staff in January to their new base in Lyneham, Wiltshire, there were not enough people left to run it “so it was for military use and Friday, now most of the Army have gone, I will close and lock the doors”.

“Now with this news of the council’s funding, it means the pool has a future and it could be open again in January which will give us time to recruit new staff.”