Big plans for two new swimming pools are set to proceed

Councillors have agreed to proceed with major plans which could see new swimming pools built in two key West Norfolk towns.West Norfolk Council first unveiled plans to build up-to-date health, swim and fitness facilities in Lynn and Hunstanton last month.And last night, the authority’s cabinet approved recommendations in the report, agreeing to undertake more detailed analysis and further feasibility work.

The two options being considered are to build a new, modern swimming pool at Lynnsport – or an alternative town centre location – to replace the St James Swimming Pool, and to construct a new Oasis Leisure Centre at or near the Hunstanton seafront.Cabinet members are expected to progress these options to RIBA Stage 2, which involves designs for the new facilities being drawn up.The next stage would also include more detailed work on planning, costs, funding opportunities and business plans, transport considerations and timescales, and engagement with key stakeholders and the wider community.

Lynn’s St James Swimming Pool, which opened in 1975, and Hunstanton’s Oasis Leisure Centre, which opened in 1984, are at the end of their economic lives and increasingly expensive to run, according to an initial assessment undertaken by the authority. When the plans were first announced, Cllr Simon Ring, deputy leader and cabinet member for business and culture, said: “St James’ and the Oasis have served our communities well for decades, but they’re ageing centres of their time, increasingly unable to meet modern user expectations or needs, and come at ever-rising costs, both financially and environmentally.“To do nothing will simply result in centres closing when they become too costly to repair.”