Existing provision at other locations means there is not a pressing need to have a sports hall as part of the new Lichfield leisure centre development, councillors have been told.
A meeting of Lichfield District Council’s cabinet approved plans to commit £10million fund the long-term replacement for Friary Grange Leisure Centre at Stychbrook Park.
The new facility will include elements such as a swimming pool and a gym, but there will be no provision for a sports hall.
But Cllr Andy Smith, cabinet member responsible for leisure, said that it was not a key requirement for the development.
“Friary Grange Leisure Centre will be handed back to the school and they will still be operating the sports hall and that will be open to the public.
“In addition, King Edward VI School’s sports hall is also open to the public, so the provision [for such facilities] is most definitely there already.
“We need to be realistic. This is a big chunk of money for a district council to find so we’ve prioritised on the biggest need which is the swimming provision that doesn’t exist elsewhere in the city.
“We will monitor sports hall and squash court usage. Because of the modular design, when more funding becomes available then we can add those on as needed.”
Cllr Andy Smith, Lichfield District Council
The meeting was also told that residents would be able to “get their trunks on” in December 2024 when the new facility is expected to open to residents.
Cllr Doug Pullen, leader of Lichfield District Council, added that the work carried out to find funding to allow the development of the Stychbrook Park scheme to go ahead was drawing envious glances from other parts of the country.
The local authority stepped in to find the funding for the project after missing out on Levelling Up funding for it.
“We’ve had national interest from other councils about how we are achieving this and to understand how we can do it so quickly.
“It is testament to the team getting us this far, this quickly so that we could bounce back after the Levelling Up funding disappointment.”
Cllr Doug Pullen, Lichfield District Council
