A new group being established is vowing to fight plans to turn part of Mosgiel's Memorial Gardens into a home for a new aquatic centre.
The group, Hands Off Memorial Gardens, was in the process of being established, but already boasted about 10 members, spokesman Brian Miller said yesterday.
Mr Miller, a former Mosgiel-Taieri community board member, said the group was not against the public pool project, but wanted to protect Memorial Gardens from ''commercialisation''.
''Memorial Gardens especially is quite significant, with trees and things, and we just feel it's time people had their say on whether they want to commercialise it or protect it.''
Depending on the level of interest, the group would probably hold a public meeting and make a submission to the steering group considering the project, he said.
The Mosgiel Aquatic Facility Steering Group - comprising council, trust and community representatives - released a shortlist of four potential sites for the new pool on Thursday.
The suggestions on the list are a redevelopment of the existing Mosgiel pool, two locations inside the Memorial Gardens and one on top of the nearby Memorial Park car park.
The public have until August 7 to make a submission on their preferred location.
• Steering group chairwoman Cr Jinty MacTavish has moved to clarify comments made on Thursday, when she suggested the site of the existing Mosgiel pool - next to the Silver Stream - ''isn't ideal from a flooding perspective''.
The site of the existing pool was actually on higher ground than the other three suggested sites in the Memorial Park and Memorial Gardens area, she said yesterday.
