CAMPAIGNERS have demanded the council make its position clear on proposals for a new swimming pool in Wanstead - after the leader said the scheme may be considered.

Redbridge currently has just one community swimming facility to serve its 250,000 population following the closure of the old Ilford pool - far lower than the recommended national ratio of roughly one per 60,000 people.

Alan Cornish is one of a group of swimmers who came up with a cost effective idea for easing the shortage - by coverting Warren Hall in Cambridge Park, Wanstead, into a small community pool.

In an email response council leader Keith Prince said the plan was an 'option for consideration' but also highlighted a list of negative aspects to the scheme - suggesting the potential cost could be higher than the £1.2 million estimated by Mr Cornish.

Mr Cornish, of Tennyson Avenue, Wanstead, called for solid clarification of the council's position.

He said: "I welcome the fact he's saying it will be considered, but we need a solid answer.

"We've got just one pool serving 250,000 people in Redbridge, which is nowhere near enough. The need for another swimming pool is pressing.

"We would like clarification of the council's position on this, but at the moment we just have ambiguity.

"The Amateur Swimming Association recommends one pool per 60,000 population, so with that in mind we need at least four pools, and we've just got one.

"It's time for the council to deal with this issue."

In the email to Mr Cornish, Cllr Prince said: "On the information available to us currently, we would expect that the costs for the type of project you have proposed would be greater than you indicate and there would be other logistical difficulties that would have to be overcome.

"A temporary pool structure might lend itself to this type of building as an alternative option but there are capital costs, lifespan and operational drawbacks to these.

"The council is currently considering various options for swimming pool provision in the borough and a feasibility study on two potential sites in the Seven Kings area form part of that process.

"Clearly the Warren Hall presents another option for consideration."

Cllr Prince has since told the Guardian that all options are still under consideration - including the Warren Hall plan and proposals for a potential new leisure centre with a pool in the south of Redbridge.