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Plans for a new leisure centre announced

30th April 2018

Spelthorne Borough Council has announced plans to build a new leisure centre in Staines-upon-Thames.

Spelthorne Leisure Centre, the council’s current facility in Staines, has served the community well since it was initially opened as a swimming pool in the 1960s before being extended in the late 1980s to become a leisure centre. However, customers’ leisure requirements have changed over time and the centre is not ideally suited to meet future needs. Condition surveys have indicated that a considerable investment would be needed to extend the life of the centre beyond 2021.

The council is proposing to build a new ‘flagship’ leisure facility which will offer a fresh modern design and meet the high expectations of residents well into the future. The old centre will remain open while the new one is being built to ensure continuity of service. A site within a section of Staines Park has been identified as a strong contender for the location of the new leisure centre, which is:-

  • Owned by the council
  • Large enough to accommodate the new leisure centre
  • Easily accessible by residents
  • Not in the Green Belt, and
  • Potentially developable (in terms of planning and environmental constraints)

The council has commissioned a feasibility study to assess the suitability of the site and is also working with representatives from Staines Bowling Club and Spelthorne Museum, which lease parts of the site from the council, to discuss plans for the future.

A consultation will start later this year with residents being able to view and comment on the proposals at drop-in sessions around the borough, or online.

Sunbury Leisure Centre is not affected by the changes and will remain open.

Cllr Ian Harvey, Leader of Spelthorne Borough Council, said: “This is a very exciting time and we are looking forward to designing and delivering a state-of-the art facility which will offer an excellent variety of sport and leisure facilities for residents. It is good to see some of the fruits of our investment strategy enabling us to deliver this kind of facility for Spelthorne. More than half a million visits were made to the leisure centre last year and I am confident that, once completed, many more people will enjoy this great new leisure centre. The timelines are still being worked on but we would like to submit a planning application toward the end of the year and start the build as soon as possible.”