New Wednesbury leisure centre to cost £6m

An urgent replacement for Wednesbury Leisure Centre will cost £6 million. Bosses said the costs were unavoidable as the pool had developed "concrete cancer".

Plans are currently being drawn up for a new swimming pool complex which will replace the current dilapidated centre on High Bullen. The new complex will be built on the same site.

It follows the closure for the last seven months of the centre's two pools in order for maintenance work to take place, including the removal of asbestos.

During routine repairs to the filtration system at the pools, inspections discovered what are significant maintenance and structural problems at the site.

Bosses say the only way they can keep a pool open on that site is with a new centre, due to the necessary repairs.

They say a new centre will give the taxpayer the best return in the long-term.

Sandwell Council deputy leader Councillor Steve Eling said: "It is not worth calculating the full costs of repairs as tests have revealed that the pool tank is suffering from concrete cancer.

"That would mean that it would be under constant repair and each time the pool would need to be closed. The decision to build a new centre was taken because over a period if time the present centre would become beyond economic repair.

"At this stage it is expected that a new facility would cost in the region of £5 to £6 million which would include the cost of the demolition of the present site."

Council chiefs say they will now fast-track the building of a new centre – and have asked deputy leader Councillor Eling and the working group delivering the new Tipton and West Bromwich pools to take this forward.

Councillor Eling said: "There are only two options open to us.

"Either build a new leisure centre or have no leisure centre at all."

The project's principal contractor is expected to be announced imminently, then there will be a breakfast club meeting for businesses to hear of any opportunities whch are arising from the scheme.

By Alex Homer