Rising costs lays doubt over £18.7m Whittlesey leisure centre plans
Councillors now expect the project to cost more than they first thought
Plans to redevelop the Manor Leisure Centre in Whittlesey could rise to more than £19 million, according to a council.
Concerns have been raised around maintaining current services, which Fenland Council (FDC) says cost around £4m to do.
While rising building costs have also played a part in the increase.
“Costs have gone up, particularly on the construction side, and we are now talking about a larger project than we were talking about before," Councillor Chris Boden, leader at FDC, said.
"Inevitably, that is going to mean an increase in the overall cost."
A FDC Cabinet meeting heard engineering investigations as part of the design process found "significant concerns" around the long-term future of keeping existing facilities, such as the swimming pool tank.
A facility 'fit for decades'
The project was initially expected to cost £18.7m, but councillors now expect this to be higher and a report is being prepared for FDC's Cabinet on next steps.
"Cabinet has previously been told the current Manor Leisure Centre has reached the end of its useful life and would cost more than £4m to keep running in its current form," FDC said.
"The proposed redevelopment would create a facility fit for decades to come and improve financial viability by attracting more users and making it less costly to run."
Cllr Boden added that the redevelopment of the leisure centre is “a major, incredibly aspirational project to create a facility fit for the future."