Worcester City Council is calling on local residents to have their say on ambitious plans to build a new public swimming pool.

The existing pool at Sansome Walk is coming to the end of its life and the City Council is consulting on plans to build a new £13 million complex at Perdiswell Leisure Centre.

"We are determined that the Olympic spirit will live on in Worcester, and to this end we want to ensure that we look to the future and provide excellent swimming facilities for generations to come," said Cllr Jabba Riaz, Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities.

The City Council is proposing to create a new Swimming Pool Complex with an eight-lane, 25-metre swimming pool and a separate learner pool at the Perdiswell Leisure Centre site.

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The pool complex would also include a 150-station health and fitness suite, a flexible studio space and a crèche. The two existing five-a-side football pitches at Perdiswell would be resurfaced and reconfigured, and the site would offer parking for around 350 cars.

It is currently proposed that there will be no changes to the Perdiswell golf course and that the golf shop would be housed in the new complex.

No decisions have been made about whether to go ahead with the plans for a new pool complex, or about how it would be funded. City councillors will vote on the proposals once feedback from the public consultation and the results of the detailed feasibility study have been analysed.

The existing Sansome Walk swimming pool will not close until a new facility is opened within the city.

The City Council will be consulting widely with city residents, local swimming and sports groups, regular users of the Sansome Walk pool, young people from across the city and Perdiswell residents. The public consultation runs until 28 October.

(CD)