Plans for town's leisure centre set for go-ahead

The proposals for a new facility in Dewsbury are due to be considered next week

Plans for the construction of a new sport and leisure centre in a West Yorkshire town are expected to get the go-ahead following the closure of another facility there last year.

Dewsbury Sports Centre shut its doors for the last time in November after initially closing in 2023 when potentially dangerous Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was discovered at the site.

Carole Pattison, leader of Kirklees Council, which ran the centre, said a new facility needed to be "right" for local residents, many of whom had opposed last year's closure.

A decision on initial proposals, due to be considered by councillors next week, was a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity, Pattison said.

The proposal for a new sport and leisure centre for Dewsbury and the north of Kirklees follows the publication of a report examining physical activity in the area.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the report showed the results of a consultation which asked people how they kept active and what stopped them from staying healthy.

It found that the area around Batley and Dewsbury had for a long time seen some of the lowest activity levels in the country.

There was strong public opposition to the closure of Dewsbury Sports Centre and swimming pool in November

Pattison said: "Rates of physical activity are lower in north Kirklees than elsewhere in the country and that was the case even when Dewsbury Sports Centre was open."

It was clear that a new approach was needed "that really listens to residents' experiences and delivers the right facilities that will make a difference to people's lives", she said.

"There's a lot more work to do, but this is a once-in-a-generation decision and we need to get it right for families and communities across north Kirklees for decades to come."

Along with major investment planned for the area's economy and transport, a new sport and leisure centre would be "another way we can improve the quality of life for residents in Dewsbury and surrounding areas", Pattison added.

According to the council, the new facility would be safeguarded through future council budgets, with councillors expected to pledge funds for the cost of the new centre.

Until the new centre was complete, the authority said it would work with Kirklees Active Leisure and the NHS for "a new range of community-based physical activities alongside the current provision" in an effort to "break down barriers which cause health inequalities".

The findings of the study are due to be discussed by Kirklees Council cabinet members on Tuesday 21 October, when initial plans for the centre are also expected to be approved.

Location options and a feasibility study would then be carried out to decide on the type of facilities residents most needed, the authority said.

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