Knaresborough leisure centre: £17m plans get go-ahead

"In a town with a river, it is really important that our children learn to swim" says the mayor

Plans for a £17m leisure centre in Knaresborough - the town centre's biggest building project in decades - have been approved.

Harrogate Borough Council passed its own plans for the new facility to be built over a play area at Fysche Field.

The existing Knaresborough Pool will be demolished to make way for a larger car park and new play equipment.

The new centre, which will have a six-lane pool and exercise studios, could be built by the end of 2023.

It will be powered by air source heat pumps and solar panels.

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However, concerns were raised over the environmental impact of demolishing a large building to replace it with another, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Bill Rigby, chairman of Knaresborough Civic Society, said the project should be scrapped in favour of upgrading the existing pool.

He said: "Rejecting an extension in favour of a new build frustrates the nation's and district's own attempts to meet the challenge of a climate emergency."

'Need to renew'

However, Jonathan Dunk, chief development officer at the council, described the 30-year-old Knaresborough Pool as "at the end of its working life" and said more swimming space was needed.

He said: "We need to renew rather than refurbish the existing facility because it is old and there is inadequate water space.

"We also want to upgrade to make the most of the energy performance of the new building."

Today's vote of approval comes after the council confirmed the project budget had increased from £13m to £17m due to increased material and labour costs, and extra spending on safety equipment.

'Too many fatalities'

Knaresborough's mayor, Christine Willoughby, backed the project, saying: "In a town with a river, it is really important that our children learn to swim.

"We have had too many fatalities in the river over the years."

Today's decision will be followed by a cabinet meeting on Wednesday when councillors will be asked to approve a £28m contract for Bristol-based firm Alliance Leisure to build the new leisure centre and separate plans for the extension of Harrogate Hydro swimming pool.

Meanwhile, the council last week announced that Ripon's new multi-million pound swimming pool is finally set to open on Wednesday after months of costly delays.

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