Plans to transform Shrewsbury Sports Village get the go-ahead
Shropshire Council’s ambitious plans to transform Shrewsbury Sports Village in Sundorne have been given the go-ahead after Full Council agreed (26 September 2024) to undertake the detailed designs and planning application, at a cost of £2.248 million.
These plans have been shaped following a public consultation which took place earlier this year to seek people’s views on the proposed transformation of the sports village to include new fitness and pool facilities.
The consultation was a critical step in ensuring that the voices of the community were heard and considered in the planning and development of the new facilities to include:
- A 25-metre x eight-lane pool – suitable for county competitions, galas and general swimming.
- 17 x 10 metre studio pool with moveable floor for learners and other water sports, including a children’s water party module.
- Seating in pool hall for 250 spectators and space for 250 competitors.
- Changing village, plus Changing Places facility for people in need of additional support.
- New reception area and lobby, with café overlooking the pool.
- New children’s soft play area.
- New 130-station fitness suite.
- Multi-purpose studio with access to existing kitchen – divisible into two areas for group activities and events.
- New dance studio.
- New 30-station cycle spin studio.
- Refurbishment of the dry changing facilities.
- Maintaining all other internal and external facilities on site including: the main sports hall with eight badminton courts, exercise studio, 16 football pitches and football changing, bowls hall, cycle track and eight netball courts.
The results of the consultation reveal a community deeply invested in the future of their local leisure facilities and the feedback collected has been instrumental in shaping the project’s direction, highlighting the importance of accessibility, sustainability, and the need for a modern, multi-feature centre that appeals to a broad demographic.
The consultation also underscored the financial challenges and the necessity for a viable long-term solution for Shrewsbury’s swimming and fitness needs.
At the meeting, Council also agreed that the project should plan to make the whole of the Sports Village an all-electric operation and decommission the centres existing gas boilers to make a step change in the council’s journey to being net-zero.
Robert Macey, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for culture and digital, said:
“Our plans were first considered and approved by Cabinet earlier this month, and it’s great that they have now been given the final seal of approval by Full Council.
“This is an incredibly exciting step forward for what will be a modern, multi-feature centre that caters to diverse needs, and we can’t wait to get started.
“While we face significant financial challenges, the money being used to create the detailed designs and planning application for the centre is coming from our capital budget. We are not allowed to use our capital budget to pay for the delivery of our services, it’s money that we must use to invest in projects that support economic, housing and population growth. And this is one of them.
“I have no doubt that, once built, the centre will be a great asset to our communities, helping us to continue to deliver our Shropshire Plan.”
Robert added:
“Our intention is to maintain swimming in Shrewsbury. We have been clear that the proposals for Shrewsbury Sports Village have been prioritised to achieve that goal, and we are clear that these plans stand alone.
“No decision has been made on the future of The Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre. Last year more than £400,000 was invested in the centre, allowing the main Quarry Pool to remain open, and it has been very well received by our customers.
“Before the new Shrewsbury Sports Village pools open, the council will commission a study to look at future options for The Quarry centre. The council has no plans to sell the site or propose alternative uses there.”
