Shropshire Council to progress plans for new swimming facilities in Shrewsbury
Shropshire Council officers have been given the go-ahead to progress plans for new swimming facilities in Shrewsbury, following approval by councillors at a meeting of Cabinet earlier this week (Wednesday 30 July 2014).
Work will now start with partners to develop ideas and create business cases for a number of options, before the council seeks residents’ views on these in the autumn.
Gwilym Butler, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for leisure, libraries and culture, said:
“This is just the start of a very long and exciting process – a process which we are keen to get residents, partners and in particular, users of the pool involved in.”
The council has previously stated that it is committed to swimming pool provision in Shrewsbury, but it recognises that, although well-used, the aging Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre is in need of significant investment, and is costly to run.
Its replacement or major refurbishment is something that has long been aspired to by Shropshire Council and the former Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council, subject to funding being available.
Gwilym added:
“We understand the importance of swimming as an excellent way to keep fit and active, which is why we want to invest in new swimming facilities for Shrewsbury, at a time when other councils are closing their similar pools.
“We will consider all options to ensure they best meet the needs of both current and future demand for swimming and that is affordable to both build and run in the long term. The options will include improving what we already have on the current site as well as exploring other possible locations across Shrewsbury.
“We will be building further on our relationships with our partners and stakeholders which include Sport England, the Amateur Swimming Association and the Quarry Swimming and Fitness Forum, and will do our best to keep people informed along the way.”
For more information about the plans and to read the report, please click here or email shrewsburyswimming@shropshire.gov.uk.
