Plans submitted for Stone Leisure Centre

Plans for a new £5.2m leisure centre in the market town of Stone have been submitted to Stafford Borough Council (SBC).

The proposals – which the local community has contributed to – feature a six lane, 25m swimming pool and a health club with an 80-station gym floor and fitness studios.

With a total floor space of 2,280sq m, the plans meet Sport England recommendations for indoor sport and leisure facilities – and therefore could qualify for grant funding from the grassroots quango.

If approved, the new centre would see the town’s public swimming and fitness facilities be gathered under one roof. The SBC-run swimming pool in Stone is currently based at Alleyne’s Academy and is used by the school under a shared agreement with the local authority.

To be build on previously developed land at the town’s Westbridge Park, the Stone Leisure Centre plans are at the heart of a £9.5m masterplan for improving the town’s leisure provision.

The plans will be partly funded through land sales. Last October (2016), the council approved plans for a M&S food store to be built on land adjacent to the proposed leisure centre site.

Richard Lawrence, SBC’s head of economic development and planning, said: “We want to provide a new leisure centre that can bring swimming, a gym and fitness studios under one roof.”

He added that the public will be now given a chance to comment on the plans on the SBC website, before they are considered by the full council.

The council is hoping to secure approval for the plans later this year. Construction is then set to begin immediate and the centre could be open by end of 2018.