Council asked to back £43m budget for new pool

A £43m budget for a city's new sports quarter will go before councillors for approval on 25 August.

At the meeting, Peterborough City Council's cabinet will be asked to accept a £20m government grant and agree to fund another £21m for the project to be completed.

A planning application was submitted for the facility on Bishop's Road in July, which will feature an eight-lane 25m swimming pool, a 20m activity pool, a café and a family play area.

Councillors will also be asked to approve a development management agreement with Alliance Leisure Services Limited to progress early works for the facility, with a scheduled opening in autumn 2028.

The new proposed budget will be an increase from the previously reported £37m.

The council said the rise was due to highways works required outside the development area, together with higher prices for steel, timber, insulation and mechanical and electrical equipment linked to ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.

The facility will be the city's only public indoor swimming pool, after the Regional Pool on Bishop's Road was knocked down because of structural issues.

Zameer Ali, the cabinet member for communities and public safety, said: "We have committed to delivering a much-needed new swimming pool for the city as quickly as possible and the past few weeks have demonstrated the urgency we are applying to this project.

"Our residents deserve to have access to high-quality swimming facilities, and this new leisure centre will give them a modern, accessible place to swim, exercise and enjoy activities with family and friends, while supporting better health and wellbeing across the city.

"It cannot come soon enough and that is why cabinet will be asked to agree the proposals so that we can begin site clearance in November, ready for main construction to start early in the new year."

The government announced last year that the £20m funding had been offered in principle, subject to approval of a full business case.

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