Leisure centre revamp plans face fresh delay
Fenland District CouncilA decision about the redevelopment of a town's 1960s leisure centre and swimming pool has been delayed until December.
Fenland District Council has been considering the future of the Manor Leisure Centre in Whittlesey, near Peterborough, since May 2024.
It had been hoped work would start on modernising the site in November, but this was held up after the project's main contractor went into administration in May.
Conservative council leader Chris Boden said it was "disappointing" the vote had been put off, but the cabinet needed to wait until a new report was completed.
Steve Count, portfolio holder for economic growth, land charges & inspire! leisure centre projects, told the cabinet meeting on Monday the work needed to fix the swimming pool had also become "much more serious" than "what was originally anticipated".
As the plans now have to undergo a "major change", there will have to be a fresh legal process with a new planning application and value-for-money report, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The cabinet will be presented with three options – maintaining the existing facility and repairing the pool tanks; complete redevelopment; or maintaining the existing facility and replacing the pool tanks.
Option two was estimated to cost £23m, including a £2.5m grant from Sport England.
Boden said: "In terms of providing a long-term facility which has a lifespan of decades, rather than years, option two does seem to make greatly more sense.
"But as I say, I reserve my final position until we see the paper which comes before us in December."
Steve Tierney, portfolio holder for communications, decarbonisation, ICT, street sweeping, street bins and dog bins, recycling and refuse collection, said there had been "wild rumours" about whether the council was still "dedicated to the principle of a leisure centre".
Count said: "I'm very much trying to get this in a position where the cabinet is as convinced as I am to bring this forward that this will be a good thing to move forward with."
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