A FORMER trustee of the Dartmouth indoor swimming pool is calling for the town to work together to save the project.

Michael Mills wants a town meeting to give residents the chance to show their strength of feeling for the project.

And he believes the Dart­mouth Business Improve­ment District should support the scheme and a share issue could be considered to raise funding.

Mr Mills said: 'The indoor pool I feel is the most important independent capital investment Dartmouth will make in the foreseeable future and a very important investment in the town and local area tourist industry.

'We cannot let this once in a generation opportunity founder when the parties concerned all say they want it to happen but cannot resolve the difficulty.

'Since resigning as an indoor pool trustee in January, I have followed events with great interest.

My reasons for resigning were that, with my involvement in three other charity groups, I could not give the time that was needed.'

Mr Mills said his background as a BA manager managing passenger and cargo terminals at Heathrow gave him a lot of experience with complex business plans, capital projects and capital forecasts.

'The indoor pool project itself has been put together from a technical perspective very professionally by those trustees who have put in a lot of time and effort to get to where a contract can be signed,' he said.

'The weakness I feel lies in the business planning and I have to agree with the council [South Hams] that they are concerned about the contingency built into the fixed price contract.

I have a lot of experience of fixed price contracts at Heathrow and there are always unknowns that have to be allowed for.

'Thus the council are right to be concerned about what happens if there are insufficient funds to complete the pool. It would not be in anybody's interest to have an unfinished building or unused building at the entrance to Dart­mouth.

'The second concern is the operating of the pool itself and there are certainly benefits of having one management of the leisure/pool complex, savings with better utilisation of staff, one reception, and a shop/cafe perhaps in the control tower to generate revenue. When I resigned in January, there was no definitive business plan taking account of the above.

'There was, however, comprehensive business plan options, which were two years old, not allowing for the above and the best option needed, an injection of £20,000 per annum.

'I feel very strongly that this project must go ahead, but marching on the Follaton House is not the answer.

The answers lie in holding a town meeting to clarify the strength of the town's desire to have an indoor pool and to establish how the BID can support the pool with some of its funding and marketing expertise.

'To consider a share issue, which the heritage railway groups do very successfully and the community bookshop has done, to raise the necessary funds.

'To get volunteers to come forward with the necessary expertise to put together a viable Business Plan that gives the council the necessary confidence to proceed.

'Come on, let's pull together and use our energies positively and get this done.'