VIDEO: £15million leisure centre plans revealed

Plans for a new £15million leisure centre have been revealed to the public.
An artist's impression of the proposed new leisure centre in LittlehamptonAn artist's impression of the proposed new leisure centre in Littlehampton
An artist's impression of the proposed new leisure centre in Littlehampton

Last week, the project team was at Littlehampton Swimming and Sports Centre in Sea Road, Littlehampton – which will be replaced by the new build – to discuss the designs.

Pending approval from Arun District Council, the new leisure centre will be built north of the current site.

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It will remain open until the project is finished, when it will then be demolished.

The project should begin in spring next year with a target completion date of April 2019.

Robin Wickham from Arun District Council is part of the project team. He said the plans were in response to the state of the current building.

“What we have here is a tired facility, and we want to have something that the community is really proud of.

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“We want to get the inactive active, and the active more active.”

Designs for the leisure centre include a larger learner pool with an adjustible floor so it can be used by adults in the evenings.

The main pool will remain the same length – 25 metres – but will have more lanes, and a unisex changing area with cubicles has been proposed to cater for families.

A studio on the second floor that can subdivide into two rooms will host classes which are currently held in the sports hall, freeing up the new space for more sport.

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Robin said the designs were within the requirements set by Sport England, which the team has applied for a grant from. They hope to receive £1million from the body.

Swimming groups had previously expressed their criticism that the new pool will not be 50m long, and therefore will be unsuitable for competitions.

But Robin said that doubling the existing length would add £3million to the current budget and that the pool is a ‘community facility’.

Amy Huttly, 31, from Littlehampton, takes her children Theo, four, and Asha, three, swimming at the existing centre each week.

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She said that she was concerned that trees would be cut down where the new leisure centre is planned, but added that the designs looked ‘incredible’. She said: “I also like the idea of a café because it’s all vending machines here at the moment.

“It would be nice to have a coffee with a friend while the kids are swimming.”

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