Campaigners have vowed to continue their fight to bring back public swimming to Promenade Park despite councillors throwing out their proposals.

More than 4,000 people signed a petition calling for lake swimming to return to the popular Maldon park.

Maldon District Council had been due to discuss plans to set up a new working group to explore the plans, with officers recommending a committee be set up.

But at a meeting on Thursday night councillors instead decided to throw out the plan, the petition and any chance of further talks on the project.

The report, presented in the chamber at the full council meeting, recommended a member working group was formed to consider the pros and cons of the scheme and allow members “time to absorb the information provided”.

Council leader Mark Durham, who voted in favour of setting up a working group, said: “From a personal point of view my feelings are there is a certain amount of nostalgia in this proposition – I remember swimming in it when I was a child many, many times – however in those days there wasn’t a public swimming pool in Maldon which there is now.

“I personally have concerns over the safety, the hygiene, the cost, legal liability and the fact that for much of the year it is not a useable facility for the conditions of weather.”

But Bob Boyce put forward a second proposal calling for the plans to be dropped then and there.

He said: “We have duties to the public. We would have no control over how many people would be in there and there would be 1.6m deep of murky water that we could not supervise safely.”

Other councillors raised concerns about wildlife in the Prom’s ornamental lake and the cost.

Councillor Richard Dewick said it was “madness” to destroy the asset the council had created with the existing lake.

Councillor Miriam Lewis added: “While I do see this, at one time in its life, was a wonderful attraction I think it has had its day.”

The campaigners wanted a 1.5 to 1.8 metre deep lake, a sill to allow the lake to refresh at high tide, disabled access, a pipe to empty it at below freezing temperatures, and Edwardian style changing huts.

Swimming in the lakes has been banned since 2002 when 45-year-old Kevin Gay died after he hit his head on a submerged post when diving in.

Marie Ellis, of the swimming committee, said the group was disappointed at the decision.

She said: “It felt like they hadn’t read anything we had sent them.

They had four recommendations but they said they were going to vote on them together.”

Ms Ellis said the group felt the council had lost touch with what teenagers in the town wanted.

She said: “In my speech I said there was nothing really for teenagers at the Prom, but one of the councillors said they could refute the comment as there was Petanque, crazy golf and they could swim in the river.

“Petanque is for older people, crazy golf they have to pay for and swimming in the river is dangerous – that is the whole point of having the lakes.

“They seem to have lost touch with what teenagers want.

“I was absolutely gobsmacked about the teenagers comment.”

The group will now decide what steps to take next and what options may be open to them.

Council: Risk is still too high

A council rejected plans to resurrect swimming lakes in Promenade Park after it was decided the risk level had not lessened since it was closed 13 year ago.

Richard Holmes, director for community services, said: “The council listened carefully to the views of the recent resident petition, and democratically debated the proposal for the removal of the ornamental lake and fountains to recreate an artificial swimming lake.

“However, based on published guidance from the Health and Safety Executive the council has concluded that the level of risk, to both the public and the council, has not lessened since the decision to close the lake was taken in 2004.

“In addition, other matters such as the impact on the now established wildlife, the requirements for security and supervision and the seasonality of such an attraction were all concerns that the council discussed, but these were secondary to the central health and safety concerns.

“The council has therefore decided not to accept the request made within the petition.”