New leisure centre plans approved

A previous leisure centre closed in 2018

Plans to build a £9 million leisure centre have been approved.

Councillors voted to rubber-stamp plans for the centre at Five Acres in Coleford, Gloucestershire.

The plans include a multi-purpose sports hall, gym, pavilion as well as a café and other community facilities.

Building work is expected to start after the Easter holidays.

A planning application is also to be submitted in May for a 3G sports pitch.

The centre will not include a theatre, which made up part of the previous building.

Guy Rossiter, a project manager for construction company Pick Everard, said they were: “Seeking to bring new life in a derelict council-owned site.”

As part of the application they will be replacing gas boilers, installing solar panels, electric vehicle charging points and providing cycle infrastructure.

The plans were voted through despite some questions around parking provision for cars.

Councillor Jamie Elsmore has been campaigning for a new leisure centre for more than a decade

A previous council administration, run by independents, worked to get EU funding for the project before being granted 9.2 million pounds of levelling up funding by government.

Councillor Jamie Elsmore, who has campaigned for a new centre for years, welcomed the decision.

"It's a big day and it's knocking towards 11 years in the making now since the community campaign started to retain leisure facilities," Mr Elsmore said.

"We've got some green shoots finally now and the public can finally see some progress" he added.

Money from a £20m regeneration grant will also be used to build the site.

Concerns were voiced by some planners about the viability of the scheme and whether this facility could succeed where others have failed.

But chairman of the committee David Wheeler reminded members they could only make a decision based on the application in front of them, not whether the centre was viable.

It is hoped that a swimming pool will eventually be built on the site again.