Shrewsbury's swimming pool move considered
Shrewsbury's leisure centre could be replaced by a new out-of-town facility, with the swimming pool heated by a waste incinerator.
That is one of the plans being considered by Shropshire Council following months of uncertainty over the future of the town's ageing Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre.
The council is due to announce the options for the future of the pool at the end of the month.
But they are expected to include a possible move to the Shrewsbury Sports Village or Battlefield. Power would come from the £60 million waste incineratorbeing built by Shropshire Council's waste contractor Veolia at the Battlefield Enterprise Park.
The alternative involves keeping the pool in the Quarry and giving it a revamp but if the pool did move it is understood the replacement may include a 50-metre pool, making it the biggest in the region, with funding coming from Sport England.
A Shropshire Council spokesman said today: "The future of swimming provision in Shrewsbury, which includes the future of the Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre, will be discussed by councillors at a meeting of Shropshire Council's Cabinet on Wednesday, July 30.
"As discussions are still at a very early stage and a decision is yet to be made by cabinet on a way forward, we are not in a position to comment on the specific issue of where the improved swimming facilities will be. However, once we are we will be seeking people's views as part of a public consultation."
Former Shrewsbury mayor Councillor Jon Tandy today insisted that the pool had to remain in the Quarry.
"This new site is already one of the most congested areas in Shrewsbury and there's also a big heritage site close by and plans to build more houses," he said.
