A CROWD of concerned parents gathered to see a ‘victory, of sorts’ for a campaign to save Barnet’s only diving facility.

Barnet Council’s policy and resources committee met last night (September 1) to discuss the petition opposing plans to close Copthall leisure centre and reopen it improved but without diving provisions for children’s practice.

Councillors resolved the plans must move forward but, due to over 2,800 people signing the petition, concluded it would be in the public interest to review the plans and make attempts to diving facilities.

Key to petitioners’ protesting the closure is the fact the closest alternative diving facility for Barnet children is the Olympic park, which is 19 miles away and whose diving classes are already oversubscribed.

Vanessa Bradley, whose two daughters use Copthall to practice diving, told the committee of the impracticalities of losing Copthall diving, as she would be unable to transport her girls to the second alternative centre in Stratford in good time for sessions.

She said: “We have a fantastic competitive team of children as well as classes of different levels rising through the ranks, totalling 90 children using the diving centre.

“We must preserve the facilities so they have an opportunity to become truly great at this sport, in line with local authorities’ messages following the Olympics this year and in 2012.”

Leader of the council Richard Cornelius was sympathetic to the petition’s requests but said the council’s official reports the decision was based on did not match the figures expressed by Mrs Bradley.

The Conservative councillor for Totteridge said: “We simply cannot delay these plans as the swimming facilities at Copthall are in dire need of improvement.

“Our initial plans for the site were based on figures which did not indicate the diving was so highly used.

“Acknowledging the petition I think it best, if we can ratify the popularity of the diving officially and the budget is there, for the council to do its best to establish these facilities at the improved centre.”

Labour councillor for East Finchley Alison Moore put the petition forward to the committee as a member’s item and conceded that improvements to the current facilities were imperative.

She said: “Let us make this a truly great Copthall centre, one to be proud of that allows people to get fit and achieve their dreams.

“We must find a place for diving here so children of this generation and generations to come can enjoy and succeed in a fantastic, undervalued sport.”

Arjun Mittra, another Labour councillor for East Finchley, attended the meeting to convince committee members that neglecting diving in Barnet was neglecting sporting provisions for all children.

Deputy leader of the council Dan Thomas said: “You cannot say this is the case when we are investing £30 million into two new state-of-the-art leisure centres.”

Parents whose children make up the Tom Daley diving squad, who use the centre to practice, are hopeful the council will decide to preserve diving in Barnet when it returns to this discussion at another policy and resources committee meeting later this year.