Bury St Edmunds leisure centre plan set to be shelved

West Suffolk Council had allocated £75m for the Western Way development

Plans for a new multimillion-pound leisure centre in Suffolk look set to be cancelled following councillor recommendations.

West Suffolk Council's cabinet members supported the move on Tuesday not to move ahead with the project.

The Western Way project in Bury St Edmunds was due to provide a new state-of-the-art leisure centre.

Councillor Cliff Waterman said the uncertain times far "outweigh the advantages".

West Suffolk Council had allocated £75m for the Western Way development in Olding Road.

The council said although it was not facing the same high debt spending as other local authorities across the country, it was "still wary of going ahead with the project".

The district's Conservative Group indicated their disappointment with the decision and have continued to call for further deliberation.

Councillor Andrew Smith, the deputy leader of the group, said the decision was "premature".

The council has currently spent £2.4m on the project and Mr Waterman said "quick action would avoid further costs".

The council's new proposal is to move away from the light refurbishment option and focus only on essential maintenance of the existing Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre.