Leisure centre demolition 'could start in months'

Woodchurch Leisure Centre in Wirral closed three years ago

A much-loved former swimming pool and leisure centre at the heart of a Merseyside housing estate looks set to be demolished within months.

Woodchurch Leisure Centre in Wirral closed its doors for the final time in 2022. A community bid to save the building subsequently failed to materialise.

The more than 60-year-old leisure centre, which would have required significant and costly repairs to remain open, had been heavily subsidised by Wirral Council, which is facing £20m of budget cuts.

As part of a £402,000 saving, the council said the leisure centre's demolition would "make way for a growth in outdoor leisure provision".

Wirral Council has spent £40,000 trying to keep the building secure

Borough councillors voted in 2023 to demolish the leisure centre and a community bid was put forward to take it over, with supporters raising more than £83,000.

This ultimately proved unsuccessful, however, and the money was redistributed to local community groups.

Woodchurch was the least used of Wirral Council's leisure centres at the time of its closure.

Despite the council spending £40,000 on trying to keep the building secure, it has suffered from vandalism.

Now a company - J Freeley Ltd - has been awarded two contracts, worth a total of more than £1.3m.

One of them, costing £641,434.50, is to remove toxic asbestos over seven weeks.

The other is to completely demolish and clear the site over 12 weeks, at a cost of £659,949.32.

This will be funded from the council's capital budget.

There will also be an ongoing saving of £48,000 once the centre is gone.

'Community sports hub'

Explaining the decision to demolish the centre, a council report said: "Despite best endeavours, vandals and trespassers have been able to access the building, causing extensive damage with most of the copper pipework and electric cabling being removed.

"A further risk is the known presence of asbestos within the building and whilst none has been found to be damaged or disturbed, its very presence poses a health risk should the asbestos be wilfully and unlawfully disturbed.

"The demolition of the building is a last resort due to the impact on climate and environment."

There will be an opportunity to build a "community sports hub" on the site, with a further two artificial grass pitches being installed and additional outdoor sports facilities proposed.

It was recently announced that Woodchurch would receive £20m in central government over the next decade.

Two other Wirral areas, Seacombe and central Birkenhead, will also receive the same level of funding.