Work starts on £4m sports centre reboot

Shropshire Council has begun work to refurbish a vital community swimming pool in the south of the county this week, alongside plans to replace ageing heating and lighting systems.

The much-loved Bishop’s Castle Arts and Leisure Centre was built by public donations more than 50 years ago, first opening its doors in 1974.

Now, people power looks set to fund its refurbishment after residents raised £250,000 to put towards refurbishments at the centre, which will see an “ageing and expensive to run” oil-fired boiler replaced with an all-electric heating system, which Shropshire Council says will reduce carbon emissions by 70% and lowering running costs at the centre.

Essential repairs to the building’s roof and the installation of easy access steps will feature in the pool refurbishment, making the facility more accessible, especially for older people, families with babies and toddlers and the disabled.

Around £2.5m set to come from the government’s decarbonisation initiative and the remaining £1.1m will come from developer-funded community infrastructure levies and the council’s capital budget.

“At the end of this project, Bishop’s Castle will have a pool that will be more cost effective to operate and accessible for all,” said Cllr Ruth Houghton, member for Bishop’s Castle.

“Our small local community has really stepped up to support the leisure centre and swimming pool by raising thousands of pounds to keep the centre open and to make improvements to it.

“This pool project has been made possible by this same community support and commitment to securing local services in Bishop’s Castle for residents across South West Shropshire.”