Consultation opens on new £12 million swimming pool for Whitchurch
The public is being asked for their thoughts on plans for a new £12.1 million swimming pool in Whitchurch.
Shropshire Council is holding a consultation on its proposals to rebuild Whitchurch Swimming Pool.
The town's current pool has been closed since March 2020, but the council confirmed plans to go ahead with the multi-million pound replacement earlier this year.
If it goes ahead, the council expects the pool to be open to the public by 2025.
The project had initially been expected to cost between £7m and £8m, but had risen to more than £12m – partly due to inflation and increased construction costs.
Other fresh swimming pool projects have been dropped by the council, with plans for a replacement pool at Shrewsbury's Quarry Fitness Centre and a fresh facility at Shrewsbury Sports Village in Sundorne both cancelled.
Speaking when the Whitchurch project was confirmed in March, Council leader Lezley Picton said the rising costs had left the authority with no option but to go back to the drawing board on the Shrewsbury projects.
The consultation on the Whitchurch project will last for eight weeks.
The plans include the construction of a brand new swimming centre featuring a six-lane 25m pool with a movable floor, a 35-station fitness suite, multi-function rooms and a café with 20 covers.
The development is proposed for the same site as the current swimming centre.
Shropshire Council said that the site had been unable to reopen after its 2020 closure after investigations discovered that work to fix a leak in the pool would be more difficult than expected.
Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for communities, culture, leisure and tourism, and transport, said: “A key priority for Shropshire Council is to improve health and wellbeing at all stages of life, and increasing participation in physical activity across the community is crucial to this.
“Everyone has been very disappointed that the centre at Whitchurch has been unable to reopen, and this is a situation that is not going to change as the building is not structurally sound.
“A new facility would be a massive benefit to all and is something Shropshire Council is committed to delivering.”
The consultation will run until July 31 and people can have their say at shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/whitchurch-swimming-and-fitness-centre-public-consultation
