Soaring costs have forced councillors to make a U-turn over plans for a new swimming pool.

Worthing Borough Council will scrap building a pool at Teville Gate because it is too expensive.

It spent three years negotiating the scheme, but a report says the council has not been able to strike a suitable deal with developers.

Instead, the council will look at other sites for a new pool to replace the ageing Aquarena on the seafront.

The report, which will be discussed tonight by the town's cabinet, says: "Both the council and the developers agree that a decision has to be made shortly as to whether the council wishes to proceed with a pool based on the proposed lease terms at Teville Gate.

"On the basis of the current information, none of the alternative Teville Gate options are likely to be affordable or value for money."

The council agreed in November it could not afford the developer's offer of leasing a pool for £860,000 a year for 35 years, with an initial service charge of £147,000 a year.

Despite more talks with developers, the report says the situation has not changed and there are no suitable alternatives.

One of the sticking points was car parking at Teville Gate.

The developers wanted the council to lease a new car park there, but estimated premiums would make it the most expensive council car park in Worthing.

If the council made parking free, it would lose around £230,000 a year. However, if it charged it could have put people off using the pool.

Council leader Keith Mercer was sad the plans had fallen through but said the council continued to support the regeneration of the area.

He said: "I am disappointed because a pool would have been an exciting part of the plans for Teville Gate but we could not have gone ahead with something that would not have been in the taxpayers' interests.

"If the developer came up with a suitable deal for Teville Gate then we could consider it, but at the moment there's nothing on the table."

Opposition councillors maintain a landmark leisure pool should be built on the Aquarena site.

Coun Robin Rogers, shadow cabinet member for leisure, added: "We have always believed that Worthing's new swimming pool should be built on the seafront and we will continue to oppose any plans to sell the Aquarena site - which includes the paddling pool, Peter Pan's Playground and the boating lake.

"These ageing but vital facilities, which are so valuable to the local residents of Worthing and visitors to the town would be lost forever to make way for a multi-storey block of flats."

Coun Bob Smytherman, Worthing Lib Dem group leader, said: "This report is no surprise to us, but will come as a big disappointment to those residents whose expectations have been raised about the proposed new pool at Teville Gate."

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