Shrewsbury could get two new swimming pools as Quarry centre to be demolished
Two new swimming pools could be built in Shrewsbury – five years after a shake-up of the town’s swimming provision was announced.
The Quarry pool, which has been deemed no longer fit for purpose, is set to be demolished and replaced with a state-of-the-art facility in fresh plans revealed by Shropshire Council.
It was decided in 2015 to relocate the pool to Sundorne Sports Village, sparking an outcry from pool users.
When the new council administration took over in 2017, the decision was overturned and a commitment was made to keep swimming provision at the Quarry site.
But bold new proposals set to go before the council's cabinet next week reveal new pools could be built on both sites in a bid to maximise income and give people who live to the east of the town easier access to swimming.
A feasibility study funded by Sport England set out the council's four options in respect of the Quarry pool, and the first two options – to do nothing and to refurbish the existing building – have already been dismissed.
The remaining two options will go before council cabinet members next week for approval to progress to the next stage of assessment before a final decision is made.
Gemma Davies, the council's assistant director for economic growth, said: "Option three is to redevelop the Quarry site to include a competition pool as well as a leisure, health and wellbeing focus.
"Option four is to redevelop the Quarry site to provide a town centre pool facility, and for the competition pool to be at the sports village.
"What we are going to do now, subject to cabinet approval, is to go forward and assess options three and four in much more detail."
Ms Davies said there were no estimations yet of what each of the two options might cost.
Squeeze
Councillor Lezley Picton, cabinet member for culture and leisure, said she believed the two-site option would be the most beneficial to the town.
"My worry is if you try to squeeze everything in on one site, something would have to be compromised," she said.
Janet Scholes, the council's commercial investment manager, said: "It would be quite tight. Either the leisure facilities would be reduced to make way for the competition pool, or the competition pool might be compromised slightly.
"The leisure pool would be bigger in the split site and we would have a wider fitness programme and some commissioned health services."
Councillor Picton said the new pool at Sundorne would give residents and schools to the east of the town much easier access to swimming.
It would also create the opportunity for the council to make changes to the current layout of the sports village, and boost income from the facility which is currently running at a net loss to the council.
Meanwhile the new Quarry pool could make use of the additional space, with talk of a spa, therapy spaces, an improved gym and large cafe.
Ms Davies said: "In the last 18 months we have had the development of the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan. That's about looking at the destination of the town centre, and the Quarry site is a key part of that.
"It is about giving people other reasons to come into the town centre and spending more time there."
Councillor Picton said: "It would be nice to have a proper spa and a really good food and beverage offer there. Some of the leisure providers we have been talking to have some really interesting stuff - we went to visit one and there was a nail bar."
If cabinet members agree to explore the two remaining options, the council hopes a final report will come back to cabinet by the end of the year with a recommendation on which option to proceed with.
