The Green Party councillors on Bray Town Council have welcomed what they have described as “significant progress” in relation to the delivery of the Bray swimming pool.

At a recent meeting of the special committee set up by Bray Town Council to progress the swimming pool, it was announced that the contract for the swimming pool will be signed on April 6th and that the construction of the swimming pool will start on May 1st this year. A limited company called Bray Sports and Leisure Centre Ltd has also been established.

Green Party General Election Candidate, Deirdre de Burca, has welcomed the recent developments. She says she is “delighted” that at last there is real evidence that the building of the swimming pool will start this year up at the Ballywaltrim Recreational Park off the Southern Cross Road. She points out that Bray has received a grant of 3.8 million euros from the Department of Arts Sports and Tourism towards the swimming pool and leisure centre. However, she says the the total cost of the swimming pool will be over 11 million euros and that Bray Town Council will have to fund the 7 million euros in the difference.

Green Party councillor, Caroline Burrell, who is a member of the swimming pool committee said: “This is great news for the children and young people of Bray. At last there will be a public swimming pool in the town which has been promised for so long, yet not delivered on”.

Green Party councillor, Ciaran O'Brien says “Since the swimming pool in Presentation College closed down, the children and adults in Bray have had to travel to Wicklow or into Dublin to access a public swimming pool. It is to be hoped that the new pool and leisure will built by the end of this year or early 2008”.