Cabinet to consider first step towards new health, swim and fitness facilities promoting active lifestyles and wellbeing

St James Swimming Pool, opened in 1975, and Oasis Leisure Centre, opened in 1984, are at the end of their economic lives and increasingly expensive to run, according to an initial assessment undertaken by the council. Both have high energy costs and carbon emissions due to their age and inefficient design, and will require significant investment to keep them running in the coming years.

The council is working to increase physical activity levels in the borough, which are lower than the national average. As part of boosting local health and wellbeing, the council is starting to explore opportunities for investing in and improving leisure facilities.

On 10 December, Cabinet will consider a report recommending further feasibility work, providing more detail on two options:

• Build a new, modern swimming pool at Lynnsport, or an alternative town centre location, to replace St James’ Swimming Pool
• Build a new, modern Oasis Leisure Centre, at or near Hunstanton seafront.

Cabinet is being asked to agree to more detailed analysis and consideration of these options to help councillors make an informed decision on the best way forward for the borough.

The next stage would include more detailed work on planning, design, costs, funding opportunities and business plans, transport considerations and timescales, as well as engagement with key stakeholders and the wider community.

The borough’s leisure facilities need a £1.4m subsidy to run each year and account for almost 40 per cent of the council’s overall carbon emissions. St James’ alone will need further investment of more than £2m simply to remain open over the next three years.

Councillor Simon Ring, Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Business and Culture, said:

“We want to enable more residents to lead healthy, active lifestyles, to address health inequalities and tackle climate change. Like other councils in our area and across the country, I feel we need to invest to offer attractive, modern, sustainable health and fitness facilities that will significantly increase usage but will be considerably cheaper to run and maintain.

“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.

“We now have an exciting opportunity to invest in delivering truly sustainable, modern health, swim and fitness facilities for our communities to help promote active lifestyles and wellbeing, meeting the local needs of today and those of future generations.

“This is, initially, a matter for Cabinet and no decisions have been made yet. We know that people might have questions – many we can’t yet answer– but we are at the start of a potentially significant and exciting process and the next step, if Cabinet takes it, will be to get those facts so we can make an informed decision about the best way forward for the borough.”

The report will be considered by the Joint Panel meeting on 3 December, prior to Cabinet on 10 December.