Council thanks people for their views on the future of swimming in Shrewsbury

Friday 30 October 2015 marked the end of Shropshire Council’s consultation on the future of swimming in Shrewsbury.

Over the five-month consultation period, the council received over 2,000 responses from individuals, partners, clubs, groups, councillors and businesses across the county on the proposed seven different pool options.

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for leisure services, said:

“Firstly I would like to thank everyone who has taken their time to respond to the Shrewsbury swimming pool consultation and let us know their views on the proposed options.

“As we’ve said previously all options are equal, and they all have their pros and cons – there is no preferred option.

“We are hugely encouraged by the amount of interest shown and it proves that on-going public swimming provision in Shrewsbury is hugely valued by local people.

“We will ensure that every single comment is taken into consideration before any decision is made by Cabinet on how swimming provision is delivered in the town over the next 25 years and beyond.” There is a considerable amount of analysis to be undertaken and it is unlikely that any decision will be taken before early 2016.”

People’s views were gathered in various ways including public meetings, an online survey, written responses and discussions with interested groups. There was also a rally in the town centre.

Further information

The consultation was launched at the end of May 2015.

The population of Shrewsbury is changing – it’s generally getting older and less active. The county will have significant growth over the next few decades, with a large amount of new housing being built.

The town now has a university, and although student numbers are currently small, there will be a growing population of students with specific leisure requirements.

The condition of the Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre and the user experience it offers has declined in recent years. There are huge strains generally on the public purse and the running costs of the current facility are a growing challenge.

The centre, which was opened in 1864, is getting very tired. Also, as it is getting older it’s getting increasingly expensive to run, which poses a real challenge for the council.

It is because of this that, in September 2014, the council appointed construction experts who undertook a detailed condition survey of the Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre. This survey identified a number of essential works.

Since then the council has been working with partners and commissioned independent experts to fully explore what the best options are for providing swimming facilities for people’s changing needs.

The options were:

• Option 1a – refurbishment of existing facilities.
• Option 1b – upgrade of existing facility.
• Option 2 – new build on The Quarry site.
• Option 3 – new build on a different site.
• Option 3a – new build: land off Clayton Way, Shelton.
• Option 3b – new build: land at Ellesmere Road.
• Option 3c – new build: land at Shrewsbury Sports Village, Sundorne.
• Option 3d – new build: land at Shrewsbury College, London Road.

The story so far…

• July 2014: Shropshire Council approved the recommendation to undertake detailed options work.
• October 2014: Building condition survey of the Quarry Swimming and Fitness centre was completed.
• November 2014: Study of different options for swimming provision in Shrewsbury commenced.
• December 2014: User survey of the Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre was carried out.
• May 2015: Options analysis study was completed and consultation was launched.
• September 2015: Consultation was extended by one month following an update to the financial information.
• October 2015: Consultation closed.