Portsmouth leisure and swimming plan opens to public consultation

The council said Eastney Swimming pool is too costly to maintain

Plans for a new swimming pool and leisure centre for Portsmouth have been released by the city council.

The local authority said the new facility could replace the existing Wimbledon Park Sports Centre and Eastney Swimming Pool.

It said the aging Eastney pool was costly to run and did not have proper disability access.

Last month the council was criticised for replacing a pool at the Pyramids Centre with an indoor playground.

The city council has begun a consultation on its proposals to create a new leisure and community facility at Bransbury Park with potential funding secured through Sports England, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It said refurbishing the Eastney swimming pool building, which dates from 1904, would cost £850,000.

The new leisure centre would be built on the site of an existing community centre at Bransbury Park

In September there was criticism on social media after the council announced it was closing the leisure pool at the Pyramids Centre without public consultation, as it was financially unviable.

Deputy council leader and leisure boss, Steve Pitt, said the new centre represented a "once-in-a-generation" plan for south-east Portsmouth.

"We must look at our current provision and make challenging financial decisions to invest in the future so we have fit-for-purpose and accessible facilities for all our residents to use.

"A really key consideration is that Eastney does not have disability access. It is also a deep pool that is not suitable for learners."

The public consultation on the scheme is open until 13 December.