Design of town's planned new swimming pool and gym unveiled
Plans for a new £13.1m swimming pool and fitness centre in Whitchurch are taking shape.
The Shropshire Council project team has revealed the detail of the new centre that will include a six-lane 25m pool, a 35-station fitness suite, multi-function rooms and a café.
The town's pool closed three years ago with a leak stopping it from re-opening after the pandemic.
Specialist architects Roberts Limbrick has designed a new centre over two floors, which will sit on the site of the old pool and youth centre, which will be demolished.
The ground floor will accommodate the café, changing village and pool. Upstairs there will be a 41-station gym with state-of-the-art equipment and a flexible studio space that can be divided into two rooms.
Robert Macey, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for culture and digital, said: “I am delighted to see work on this project progressing at pace.
“The designs are stunning and we can be confident that we are delivering a first-class swimming and fitness centre for Whitchurch. This is an exciting project which demonstrates our commitment to both investing in the area and to public health. The pool and fitness centre will serve the public for many years to come and it will have a significant positive impact on exercise and activity levels across the wider area.
“A key priority for Shropshire Council is to improve our residents’ health and wellbeing at all stages of life, and increasing participation in physical activity across the community is crucial to this.”
Shropshire Council voted to go ahead with the £13.1m development after hearing that a new centre would be the most viable and cost-effective way to replace the current facility, which has not been able to open since the pandemic began.
Since the pool’s closure in March 2020, investigations to identify the cause of an ongoing leak at the facility and the practicalities of carrying out repair works showed that the swimming pool defects are such that it would not be able to reopen in its present guise.
The planning application is expected to be submitted in early summer 2023.
