Shrewsbury swimming pools plan postponed as Whitchurch scheme prioritised

Shropshire Council leader Lezley Picton said the authority had been forced to make difficult decisions

Plans to redevelop a swimming pool and build a new facility in the same Shropshire town have been postponed.

Shropshire Council is set to seek views on a £12.1m pool and leisure development in Whitchurch.

However, that scheme means existing plans for a competition pool at Sundorne Sports Village and the rebuild of the Quarry pool, both in Shrewsbury, have been put on hold.

The council's leader said it had been forced to make "difficult" decisions.

Some campaigners in Shrewsbury have been battling for years to retain a swimming pool within the town centre

In January, the authority announced "complications" with the plans and funding for the Quarry leisure centre meant a new pool at Sundorne Sports Village would be built first.

But "rapidly escalating construction costs", and Whitchurch being without a pool since its swimming centre closed in March 2020, mean both Shrewsbury projects are being put on hold, it said.

Conservative council leader Lezley Picton said the Shrewsbury projects were "not dead in the water" but the authority was looking at alternative funding and was likely to "re-evaluate the facilities needed for the town".

She said the authority was looking at funding schemes which would not involve borrowing.

Whitchurch's swimming centre has been closed since March 2020

On 27 April, the authority's cabinet is set to discuss plans for an eight-week consultation on the Whitchurch scheme with the full council to recommend capital funding for the project once the consultation is complete.

Plans include a six-lane 25m pool with a movable floor, a 35-station fitness suite, multi-function rooms and a café, which Councillor Cecilia Motley, cabinet member for communities, culture, leisure and tourism, and transport, said would be a "massive benefit to all".

Some campaigners in Shrewsbury have been battling for years to keep a pool in the town centre.

Ms Motley said the council acknowledged the strength of feeing for facilities at the Quarry and would "continue to support the site while we explore all the options".

Councillor David Vasmer, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group on Shropshire Council, said it welcomed the plans for Whitchurch but was disappointed the commitment to replacing the Quarry Pool "has been abandoned".