Decision to grant £10.7 million Sheringham Leisure Centre planning permission

Date published: 1st November 2018

North Norfolk District Council’s ambitious plans to build a multi-million pound, state of the art leisure facility in Sheringham have been given the go-ahead today (Thursday 1 November).

A decision to grant planning permission has been secured for the £10.7m project which will replace the existing facility, Splash, with the first stage of building work expected to begin later this month.

The new centre will include a six-lane, 25 metre pool, a 13 metre learner pool with an adjustable depth floor, fitness suite, community rooms, multi-purpose studios, a spin studio and a café. The design has been progressed with the facility’s accessibility in mind and incorporates eleven dedicated accessible car parking spaces close to the building entrance, level access into the building through the main reception, automatic entry doors within the lobby area and accessible changing rooms.

A moving floor on the smaller pool will allow the water depth to be changed for different activities and user groups such as swimming lessons, water confidence and toddler sessions and aqua fit exercise classes.

A colourful splash pad and learner pool for children to enjoy and where they can improve their confidence in the water has also been included in the design, and a range of portable, fun equipment such as inflatables will be offered during timetabled sessions.

The project, which supports North Norfolk District Council’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of its residents, will ensure the provision of leisure and fitness facilities for local communities and visitors to north Norfolk is secured for the future. Splash will remain open while the new leisure centre is built on a different part of the site. The new leisure centre is due to open in late 2020.

Working with partners including Sport England, the Council is seeking to increase participation in sport which will contribute to an improvement in social and cultural benefits.  The social and fitness spaces will help put the facility at the heart of the community.

The construction of a new facility will result in significant economic benefits both during and post completion.  These include job creation for local people during the construction period and longer term employment and opportunities for volunteering once the site has opened for business.

North Norfolk District Council has appointed Saunders Boston Architects and a full design team to develop the new facility, which is also the subject of a funding bid to Sport England.

Sheringham’s skate park, ‘The Strip’ will be relocated on the site, and will be rebuilt to a design that has been chosen by users of the facility. Construction is expected to start in late November and will run through to early 2019.