The new leisure centre would be built on the former Cadley colliery, a mile from Swadlincote town centre
The new Swadlincote Leisure Centre on the former Cadley Colliery site off William Nadin Way(Image: South Derbyshire District Council/CPMG)
Work on a major “exciting” new Derbyshire leisure centre is set to begin later this year – that’s after the £60 million project was finally approved.
At a South Derbyshire District Council meeting on Tuesday (June 2), councillors approved the authority’s own plans for a new headquarters and leisure centre on the former Cadley colliery site in Swadlincote.
The council says it aims to start work this September with an intention to have the new facilities opened in “early 2028”, at the same time the authority is due to be abolished through local government reorganisation.
Overall, the facility will cost £188 million over a 50-year loan, comprising £3.4 million a year in payments for half a century.
Once complete, the existing ageing facilities in Civic Way and at Green Bank Leisure Centre will be demolished to make way for a landmark town centre regeneration scheme involving a potential hotel or bowling alley, civic hub, shops, cafes and housing.
A total of 383 parking spaces would be provided at the new facilities, the meeting was told, although mooted plans for covered bays with solar panels have not materialised but could be revisited in the future, officials said.
The facilities would include a vastly expanded “changing room village” to enable improved access for families, 25-metre swimming pool with a floor which can be lowered, sauna, occupational therapy gym equipment, a 150-piece fitness suite, cafe and a six-court sports hall.
The proposed Swadlincote Leisure Centre and South Derbyshire District Council headquarters(Image: South Derbyshire District Council)
Talks with Derbyshire County Council have resulted in agreements to upgrade a “substandard” footbridge from Cobblestone Drive into the Cadley village development, a shared cycle and pedestrian path upgrade from William Nadin Way to the leisure centre, and a new crossing on Ruby Way, also on the neighbouring Cadley village scheme.
Councillor Kalila Storey said it was an “exciting project” which would be “fit for the future” with residents to benefit for “many years”.
She welcomed planned upgrades to bus stops linked to the development, the bus drop-off point outside the main building entrance, along with bike parking, and the long-awaited upgrade to the Cobblestone Drive bridge.
Cllr Storey said the timber beam bridge had been a “barrier” for years, restricting access for wheelchair users, people with mobility issues and those pushing prams.
Meanwhile, Cllr Amy Wheelton said the planned access improvements were “excellent” but said shuttle buses were needed to ferry people from the town centre to the new facilities, saying “there are enough barriers in getting people active”.
Cllr David Muller said the proposed use by the council was up in the air due to local government reorganisation, but officials said the facility could still be used as a leisure centre regardless.
The new Swadlincote Leisure Centre on the former Cadley Colliery site off William Nadin Way(Image: South Derbyshire District Council/CPMG)
Cllr Julie Patten said the move out of the town centre had “disenfranchised a lot of people”, claiming the council was “hell-bent on spending taxpayer money on a building that is not going to be used”.
Council officials said there had been “advanced talks” with bus operators and the East Midlands Combined Authority about the need to improve bus services around the site, and divert routes to serve the new facilities.
Cllr Mick Mulgrew, first elected to the council in 2003, said he was a former employee of the Cadley colliery, which closed in 1988.
He said: “I can remember walking to work at 5am in the morning in the freezing cold and I never would have thought it could become this. I will be retiring from the council soon and what a legacy this is to have left for my children and grandchildren.
“It is brilliant, I cannot wait.”
Councillors approved the plans by a vote of 12 in favour and one abstention.
