Shrewsbury MP hits back in row over future of Quarry

Conservative Daniel Kawczynski has written an open letter to Councillor Alan Mosley, after the leader of Shrewsbury Town Council, who is also in charge of Shropshire Council's Labour group, said the MP had been engaged on an "ill-considered publicity exercise" over the possibility of the pool making way for a new five-star hotel.

Mr Kawczynski said proposals listing the site as a potential location for a new hotel had come from Shropshire Council, rather than himself.

But he added that any possible sale of the site could help generate funds to building a new leisure facility in Shrewsbury to replace the currently "dilapidated" Quarry site.

"By potentially securing investment for a redevelopment of that site, a significant amount of money could be freed up to contribute to the construction of a new facility in the town," he said.

"Given the scarce resources the council has, a significant amount of lateral thinking and innovation needs to take place to see how a new pool can be secured for our community."

Mr Kawczynski said he had been speaking with swimming clubs from across the county to create a briefing document to outline what is needed in the county.

In his letter to Councillor Mosley, he added: "This has not been a publicity exercise but a genuine effort to start a dialogue on the matter and to work constructively with the council and other bodies to try and find a solution.

"It is of disappointment to me that you have chosen to denigrate my efforts in council without giving me the courtesy of at least a phone call to clarify my work to date."

Councillor Mosley said today he was yet to receive the letter from Mr Kawczynski and was surprised the MP had made it public before it had reached him.

He added he stood by the comments he made in a question at a full meeting of Shropshire Council.

"I believe that pronouncements regarding the Quarry Baths were ill-considered in so far as they were without reasoned thought and consultation and hence, resulted merely in consternation among Shrewsbury and Shropshire residents," he said.

"His statement that the baths should 'be knocked down and replaced with a brand new hotel and leisure complex' was in my view irresponsible.

"Since his original comments he has backtracked, had meeting with key objectors and even made the ludicrous suggestion that a new baths complex could be housed in the proposed New Riverside shopping complex."