Leisure centre's £4m repair costs approved

The pool at Bishop's Castle Arts and Leisure Centre will be refurbished as part of the major works

Essential repairs and improvements costing nearly £4m will be made to a Shropshire leisure centre.

Shropshire Council's cabinet gave the go-ahead to allocate some of the funds for the work on Bishop's Castle Arts and Leisure Centre from the community infrastructure levy at a meeting on Wednesday.

The refurbishment includes two major projects - one is a decarbonisation initiative, which will see the existing oil-fired boiler replaced with an all-electric heating system.

The other will see a pool refurbishment and will see repairs to the roof and the installation of easy-access steps.

Shropshire Council said the decarbonisation project would significantly reduce carbon emissions by 70 per cent and lower running costs, while the pool refurbishment would make the facility more accessible - particularly for older people, those with disabilities and families with young children.

The improvements, expected to cost £3.939m, will be funded via several sources:

• £2.454m from the public sector decarbonisation scheme

• £680,000 from the community infrastructure levy

• £505,000 from the council's capital repairs budget

• £250,000 donated by the trustees of the Bishop's Castle Save the SpArc charity

Councillor James Owen, cabinet member with responsibility for leisure, said the work was a significant investment in the community.

"It will not only enhance the facilities at SpArC, but as more people use the centre, it also will ensure its sustainability for future generations," he said.

"While we face a financial emergency, it is worth noting that this is a capital project, and therefore the money does not come from council tax, nor is it something that can just be cancelled to save money in this financial year to keep the council afloat.

"In fact, the decarbonisation and expanded works are expected to reduce running costs via energy efficiency and reduced maintenance costs in the short to medium term, proving its benefit to the whole council in this time of crisis."