Major new Peterborough sports centre gets the go ahead

In July 2018 the Peterborough Telegraph revealed how Peterborough City Council was planning to construct a six to eight lane 25m pool to be based in a new two storey leisure building near the existing Werrington Leisure Centre, which is run by Vivacity.

The centre would also include:

. a new indoor sports hall

. new indoor sports courts

. a new fitness area containing a minimum of 120 stations and two studios, but possibly three

. a new public library and a café/reception.

A new floodlit full size 3G football pitch was also part of the plans, as well as a new car park.

It had been suggested the skate park in Werrington was an option for the new complex which was expected to cost £14 million.

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Cllr John Fox, who represents Werrington ward on Peterborough City Council, told members of the Adults and Communities Scrutiny Committee: “We’ve been waiting for this sports centre now for far too long now.

“You’ve said you were looking at first extending the car park to accommodate the sports centre; we all met on site, discussed it at length, but nothing has since happened.

“Then the residents of Werrington were promised a swimming pool four years ago, and that hasn’t happened.

“I feel we are 99 per cent sure that we are going to have this sports centre, but I’m never 100 per cent sure until I see the cranes up and the ground being dug.

“While I am loath to tell my constituents any different I would like to know if it is finally just being considered or is it going to actually happen, and this year?”

Cabinet member for culture and recreation Cllr Steve Allen replied: “As you know I am fully supportive of this development in Werrington and, yes, I have to admit that it has been a bit on-off up to now.

“However, I can tell you that the project is definitely ‘on’ this time. We are conducting the feasibility studies now which, while late, is only because the original plans were modelled on a community-type facility which we now believe is too small for what is required.

“We now want something a lot more ambitious for the residents of the north of the city, something akin to Premier Fitness at Hampton, and that is why our feasibility studies have been changed and taken a while to get going.

“That is nearing conclusion and then we will work with Vivacity to determine who will carry out the construction and commercial model – but rest assured this is a most viable proposition.”

Robert Alexander, Local Democracy Reporting Service