Reading Borough Council (RBC) has revealed full details of the controversial sale of a historic swimming pool following a lengthy Freedom of Information (FOI) battle.

The release of a secret July 2018 Policy Committee report has revealed the council agreed to sell Arthur Hill swimming pool to OOAK Developments LTD (OOAK) for £1.15 million to develop housing, despite there being higher offers and bids to retain the pool.

Campaigners have slammed the council for failing to get the highest price offered, failing to complete the sale of the pool and not yet delivering a new pool in east Reading.

A spokesman for the Arthur Hill Campaign said: “This report raises some very worrying questions about how the winning bidder was selected and why, despite not yet having received a single penny for the pool from the prospective buyer, the council has not put the pool back on the market.”

Councillors were recommended to accept the unconditional bid from the ‘young company of limited experience’ as it was expected to take just three to six months to complete the sale while a conditional offer might take 12-18 months.

The report warned, however, that purchasers ‘will often try and delay exchange to carry out some risk mitigation or will try and introduce what are effectively conditions into the deal’.

It also recommended the council re-engage with the second highest bidder or re-market the property if the purchaser ‘does not perform at an acceptable timescale’.

The report reveals that RBC received 16 offers for the site from nine interested parties, ranging in value from £250,000 to around £2 million.

Three of the potential buyers had planned to reopen the pool for swimming, and a fourth, the Greater Reading Nepalese Community Association, planned to buy it for community use.

The highest bid was from OOAK, who submitted six different offers including a £2,050,000 apartment-hotel scheme.

RBC picked the ‘four strongest bidders’, which inluded an offer from The Knight Group to retain a pool, and asked them to submit final offers.

Two of the bidders, including The Knight Group, withdrew their bids, leaving a shortlist of two housing development offers from OOAK and Red Line Developments.

The secret report on the sale of the pool was the subject of a FOI request from Arthur Hill campaigners following the secret Policy Committee meeting in July 2018.

RBC refused the request citing commercial sensitivity but, following an appeal, the IC ordered that the council to release a copy of the report or face proceedings for contempt of court.

The council plans to replace the pool with a facility in Palmer Park.

A council spokesman said: "The council is satisfied that every bid received for the former Arthur Hill building was given full and proper consideration as part of this process.

"It has been completely open about publically advertising the disposal of the building and named the successful bidder a number of months ago.

“Contrary to belief, local authorities do not automatically accept the highest offer for any building. In some cases unconditional offers can be quicker and more beneficial than those with conditions attached.

"There can however be a host of reasons for delays and in the case of Arthur Hill,  it would be completely wrong to assume active discussions were not taking place.

“The sale of Arthur Hill is not yet complete.

"Work to progress matters are ongoing, including dialogue with the preferred bidder in order to ensure that the final sale represents value for money.

“We are still in negotiations with the preferred bidder, which involves commissioning due diligence work, including surveys.

"The outcome of these will be hugely significant for the future development potential of the site.

"Once that process is complete, the Council will take a decision about the future of the building."