AN idea has been put forward to build a seaside town's long-awaited swimming pool as a nautical centre.

A number of proposals for a new swimming pool in Redcar have been suggested by campaign group Grasp - Get Redcar A Swimming Pool - and now local photographer Phillip Chisholm has put forward his ideas.

Mr Chisholm suggests that the pool should be built on the seafront and be used as a centre for swimming and watersports.

He believes that there should be a foreshore for boats and canoes, and a deep tank for sub-aqua training.

He also proposes that the centre should be home for the Coastguard, beach patrols and maritime agencies, and become the new home for the Sir James Knott Lifeboat.

In an open letter to Grasp chairman and Redcar MP Vera Baird, he argues that the pool should be called the Copeland Centre - named after the former manager of Redcar Baths, Dick Copeland, who taught the town's lifeguards their skills.

Mr Chisholm said: "The requirement I foresee is a pool dedicated to activities founded upon the rich tapestry of life in Redcar. The new pool would deliver to the town and its people a utility, designed for water and sport education, anchored to the maritime history of Redcar."

A feasibility study into the kind of pool required for the town is being carried out.

The town's baths were closed a few years ago. Now the campaign to get a new pool has taken off and the money for the study has come from the Single Regeneration Budget cash for west Redcar.

Other ideas include a conventional swimming pool, a waterworld and a tropical swimming paradise.

Grasp meets on Saturday, February 23, at 1pm in Coatham Memorial Hall