A new swimming pool could soon be built in Ollerton as part of plans to expand leisure facilities across Newark and Sherwood district.
Plans for a new 20 metre by 10 metre pool have been submitted to Newark and Sherwood District Council’s planning department.
If approved, it will be built at the Dukeries Leisure Centre.
Scheduled to open in 2020, the new pool will be located within the existing site, in a separate building.
Up until July 2017, leisure centre members were able to use the adjacent Dukeries Academy School for swimming - before the pool was deemed no longer fit-for-purpose by the Trust, which runs the academy.
From then until May this year, members were able to use the facilities at South Forest Leisure Centre in Edwinstowe.
Currently, facilities are provided to members nearly two miles away from the Dukeries at Wellow House School but this is not considered to be a suitable long-term solution.
A spokesman for the council said with a 32 per cent population growth anticipated by 2026 in Ollerton and nearby Boughton, an improved leisure facility in the area is needed to meet the expected rise in demand.
The leisure centre, which is run by the district council’s own leisure company, Active4Today, is situated next to an area of land earmarked for a new housing development site, with more than 200 new homes planned on land between Hallam Road and Stepnall Heights.
Councillor Roger Jackson, chairman of the leisure and environment committee, who represents the Dover Beck ward for the Conservatives, said: “Ollerton and Boughton is the largest population centre in Sherwood and the existing leisure facilities simply will not accommodate the needs of the growing number of inhabitants.
“Swimming is an important skill to be taught from a young age and the new pool will ensure that the facility can be enjoyed for generations, improving the health and well-being of everyone in the area, both now and into the future.”
The district council’s planning committee will meet on December 3 to discuss the plans which are recommended for approval.
The planning application for the new pool coincides with other investments in facilities across Newark and Sherwood.
In 2016, the council opened the new Newark Sports and Fitness Centre, to replace the previous Grove Leisure Centre which was no longer fit for purpose.
Proposals are also being developed to double the size of Southwell Leisure Centre’s fitness suite. The extension will allow for an extra 600 members.
The council’s third centre at Blidworth also recently received significant investment to remove a wall between the reception area and the fitness suite to create a more attractive entrance space and to reduce managerial costs.
