Leisure centre to be built despite funding 'concerns'

The opening date of the site was pushed back to 2026

Work on a leisure centre is set to start despite "funding concerns".

Newcastle City Council has announced that the construction of a sports hub in West Denton, Newcastle, will begin in the coming weeks.

However, the local authority has not said how it will find £7.15m it has pledged towards the development, but that it would go ahead, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Newcastle Liberal Democrat leader, Colin Ferguson, said there was "continued uncertainty" over funding.

The cost of the project has risen from £22m to £34m over the last three years and the venue's opening date has been pushed back from this summer to 2026.

The council originally won a £19.8m Levelling Up Fund grant to build the hub in October 2021, and will have to ask the government for a second deadline extension to avoid losing the money.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is yet to commit to the funding.

A spokesperson said the government would set out further details "in due course".

A Civic Centre source said the council had "guaranteed" that it would provide the cash.

The pledge is likely to be made through a loan and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), the source said.

The complex will be built on the site of the old leisure centre, which was demolished in 2023

The area has been without a swimming pool since West Denton leisure centre closed in March 2020.

The building was demolished in 2023 to make way for the new complex.

Labour councillor Dan Greenhough, who represents Denton and Westerhope, said he was "delighted" to hear that building work was imminent.

Mr Ferguson said: "Why can the council not be clear on how their contribution is going to be funded?

"Residents in the west of the city deserve top class leisure facilities, but this is clearly just continued uncertainty prompting only more questions."