PROPOSALS for a temporary swimming pool in Alloa will be progressed following agreement by councillors last week.

Clackmannanshire Council is looking to hire the pool and will move into the design stage for the facility at the Marshill car park in Alloa as part of interim arrangements.

It is to serve Wee County residents while plans for a state-of-the-art wellbeing hub and pool, set to replace the former Leisure Bowl, are being developed and realised.

There are hopes for the temporary Marshill pool to be complete by the summer of 2022, and the local authority is also looking to utilise the facility to reintroduce swimming lessons for all P5 pupils.

Last Thursday, October 21, elected members heard from representatives at ReCreation, part of the Olympian-led Sporting House Group, which would erect the facilities at Marshill.

The chamber was reassured there is "ample room" to retain parking and Covid-19 testing, if still needed, at the site.

The final design will be subject to planning permission.

As part of the discussions on the day Cllr Craig Holden sought to make clear that this was not simply a "pop-up pool" as he questioned representatives from ReCreation and partners Box Architects.

In response, the virtual Kilncraigs chamber was told the pool will feature a concrete floor with steel panels in what will feel like a "permanent in quality" facility on the inside.

A representative explained the technology used for the pool is the same as the business' leaders, ex-Olympic swimmers Steve Parry and Adrian Turner, got used to on the world stage.

He added: "These tank systems have been used successfully for decades, we've taken the same technology and we are planning to use that in Alloa."

It was confirmed this will come from the same manufacturer as the one supplying the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next year.

Cllr Holden added: "I just think it's important to deal with any misconceptions that are out there around the nature of this building and how permanent or temporary it is.

"There's temporary, but there's temporary that's built robustly and is a good standard."

As highlighted last week, council papers said the temporary pool would be similar to the one that was put in place in Dumfries and Galloway in 2014.

That facility was housed in a fully-accessible, steel-framed building and similar can be expected in the Wee County.

The pool itself will be 25-metre long with six lanes and a consistent depth of 1.2m.

Once the wellbeing hub, which is being developed with partners and stakeholders to address a range of community needs, is operational in Alloa parts of the temporary and modular facility can be de-rigged and re-used elsewhere.

As part of the discussions, councillors also heard about the extensive work around the plans for the wellbeing hub and pool.

The development is progressing to the next stage and it was agreed that a detailed options appraisal to inform a business case will be taken forward.