New £25 million leisure centre in the pipeline for Dudley

Council bosses have revealed details of an option being explored as they seek to find the best way forward over controversial plans for the borough's leisure facilities.

The council was forced to back down over proposals to close existing leisure centres and build two new facilities following a fierce backlash but chiefs remain committed to improving facilities.

It has been suggested the new centre could be built in Flood Street, near the eyesore Cavendish House office block, to bring it closer to the bus station, which is set to undergo a major renovation over the next few years.

Council bosses will launch a consultation over how best to improve leisure centres, which they say are 'outdated'.

Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for regeneration, said one of the options is to build the new facility, which would also include a secondary 'learning' pool and facilities for other sports. He hit back at critics of the council's plans for leisure centres at a meeting on Monday night, insisting improvements were needed soon.

He said: "The reality is that our leisure centres are not fit for purpose, are old, outdated, tired and run down.

"They are expensive to run and cost the taxpayer nearly £2m per year in subsidy and need to have a further £3.2m invested in them to ensure that they continue to operate, which still would not give us the up-to-date and modern facilities that we all want to see.

"We intend to have further cross-party discussions to explore the possibility of starting work on a new leisure facility in the heart of the town centre which can be combined with the redevelopment of Dudley bus station, the new metro interchange, Cavendish House and the Flood Street area."

Council chiefs now favour keeping three leisure centres in Dudley, Stourbridge and Halesowen but are keen to rebuild at least one and potentially refurbish the other two.