West Norfolk Council defends £850,000 spend on new King's Lynn pool that may never be built
Cabinet backs the plans despite there being no guarantee construction will go ahead
A Norfolk council has defended plans to spend almost £850,000 to draw up plans for a new swimming pool – despite there being no guarantee it will actually be built.
West Norfolk Council’s cabinet supported the move on Tuesday as it pressed ahead with designs to replace St James Pool in King’s Lynn.
The council is looking to create a standalone pool at the Lynnsport facility in the town after officials admitted the current 50-year-old, six-lane centre is deteriorating rapidly and maintenance costs have spiralled.
The new site, which could cost up to £23m to build, would include eight lanes as well as a four-lane learner pool with moveable floor and splash pad.
However the expenditure – which will cover the cost of designing the new facility and drawing up a business case – has drawn significant criticism.
The officer’s report said the money spent will only “determine whether the project should proceed to construction”.
This has led to questions over why the cost is being pursued when there is no guarantee the pool will be built, and councillors have queried if the existing pool’s lifespan could be expanded instead.
At the cabinet meeting, members sought to justify the move.
Alistair Beales, leader of the independent-led authority, said constructions costs had spiralled 40pc since the war in Ukraine.
“While this is a huge amount of money, it’s not disproportionate to the overall projected costs,” he said.
An officer at the authority said the design cost was in line with industry standards, adding: “Council pools typically require six to 10pc of total project cost at design stage – we’re looking at 3.7pc.
“There are ground investigation surveys and a lot of work around drainage filtration. It isn’t just design work.”