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Wiltshire Council has announced, at long last, where it will be.
The new leisure centre will be located on the old 'East Wing' site opposite County Hall.
While not a ‘final decision’, East Wing compared favourably to other sites and is currently the preferred location for the new leisure centre. However, if, upon further investigation, WC decides it isn’t suitable or other opportunities emerge, WC will reconsider its options.
Whilst welcoming the decision, it is ironic that this site was being 'looked at' over ten years ago!
It is great to see that whilst other council's are closing their leisure centres, WC is investing to build a new facility - the cost could be in the region of £25m. Compared to the cost of the town council scheme for one football pitch next to Doric Park (about £7.5m I believe) this seems fantastic value for money. I'm sure this fact won't be lost on the Trowbridge Town Council tax payers!
WC will be launchng a web site soon.
The 'basics' for the new venue is that it will have a six lane 25 metre swimming pool (as is now at Clarendon) plus a 7m x 13m learner pool. It will also have a gym with 120 stations, various studios, a spin studio, an adventure play area, a Live Well suite, and a cafe.
The new centre will NOT have a sports hall, school gym, or squash courts - these will all be available where they currently situated. Also,there will be no diving provision.
More details over the next months......
Below is my letter to the Wiltshire Times last May. Hopefully my thoughts will also tie-in with WC's when the Local Plan is published in a month or so. We can only hope!
"Dear Sir,
I was appalled, but not surprised, to read, a week or so ago, the opinion of the Leader of Trowbridge Town Council (TTC) regarding his ‘thoughts’ on the future provision of sport facilities. Presumably he was trying to justify the town spending several million pounds to provide only one new sports pitch in Hilperton.
Quite how a council leader with ‘green aspirations’ can publicly suggest building on a greenfield site concerns me. There are suitable ‘brownfield’ sites available in the town (owned by Wiltshire Council) which, if developed, would lead to more people visiting the town centre – a town centre which Cllr. Palmen and his fellow councillors are concerned about as it seems to be ‘withering on the vine’ and devoid of any real character to attract people.
The thoughts of Cllr. Palmen also go directly against the TTC ‘Town Council Strategy 2021-2025’ document. As Leader of TTC surely he should be guided by council policy, not his own ‘build on green fields’ agenda?
The strategy states that the town council will support ‘Development of indoor leisure facilities by Wiltshire Council in the town centre’ (my underlining). It also states that TTC will ‘Work with Wiltshire Council to ensure they provide the oft-promised leisure centre and swimming pool in a central location, including a climbing wall’ (again, my underlining).
How these policies can be interpreted as promoting building on a greenfield site outside the town only he can know.
Ernie Clark, Wiltshire Councillor for Hilperton Division."