West Norfolk councillors to consider new swim facilities

And concept images have also been released of what the proposed centre could look like.

St James’ Swimming Pool, opened in 1975 in King’s Lynn, is at the end of its economic life and increasingly costly to run and maintain, due to age and inefficient design. Eventually it will need to close. It has only six lanes, limiting options for casual and competitive swimming.

Community feedback makes clear people want a modern, larger swimming pool at Lynnsport to replace St James’. They’re also keen to avoid significant disruption that would’ve come from the original idea of a wholesale redevelopment of Lynnsport to incorporate the new pool.

Following community feedback and further work into financial sustainability, the council has now explored the option of building at Lynnsport a stand-alone swim centre with an eight-lane 25m main pool, a four-lane 17m learner pool with moveable floor, and a splash pad.

The feasibility work concludes that this proposal is the preferred way forward.

A report to be discussed by councillors next month says this approach offers greater design flexibility, reduced construction risk and less disruption to existing leisure services during delivery, plus the opportunity to develop a modern, energy-efficient swim facility capable of meeting the needs of residents, schools, clubs and the wider community.

Investing in new, modern and accessible swim facilities is a key part of the council’s priority to modernise and future-proof sport and leisure facilities, to boost health and wellbeing across communities and help more residents of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to get active.

Alongside the new swim centre, the council will continue maintaining and modernising the existing Lynnsport facilities, though on a phased basis to spread the cost and reduce disruption.

As the key next step, councillors will be asked to agree funds to progress the stand-alone swim centre through the next stages of project development (RIBA Stages 2 and 3). This will be discussed first at Corporate Performance Panel on 2 September, then Cabinet on 8 September and Full Council on 24 September.

The next RIBA stages would cover detailed design, technical investigations, planning work and cost planning, required to develop a full business case and allow councillors to make a final decision in 2027 on whether to proceed to construction.

Councillor Simon Ring, Deputy Council Leader, said: “People in West Norfolk deserve the very best. We have waited far too long for a swimming facility that we can genuinely be proud of, and I want us to seize this opportunity to create something exceptional, not simply replace an old pool with a new one.

“This is about much more than swimming. Our ambition is for Lynnsport to become a nationally recognised centre of excellence for accessible and disabled sport, a place where somebody’s disability is never a barrier to taking part, competing or simply enjoying being active.

“That ambition needs to be designed into the facilities from the very beginning. The wheelchair access platform, the moveable floor in the learner pool and the splash pad will make the new centre accessible to far more people, whether that is someone learning to swim, a child discovering water for the first time, an older resident rebuilding their confidence or a disabled athlete wanting to train and compete.

“Alongside the work we are already doing at Lynnsport, this gives us the chance to create something really special for West Norfolk. I don’t want us simply to build another leisure centre. I want us to build a sporting destination that other places look at and say, ‘that is how you do inclusion properly’.

“We have an opportunity to give West Norfolk a swimming facility fit for the next generation and to make Lynnsport a place of genuine sporting excellence. After waiting this long, our residents deserve nothing less.”