Behind closed doors talks on Newcastle leisure future

Behind closed doors talks on Newcastle leisure future

11 December 2024

LOCAL politicians will tomorrow night be provided with a progress report on two multi-million pound leisure projects in Newcastle.

The discussion on the town’s new leisure centre and the outdoor Rock Pool will be held in secret during a meeting of Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s Strategy, Policy and Resources Committee.

Several months ago, the local authority confirmed it planned to organise a press briefing on both projects to provide ratepayers with an update on the two schemes which, it’s claimed, could cost in the region of £30m.

No briefing has yet taken place.

Last month, it was revealed work is to start on securing formal planning approval to progress both schemes to the detailed design stage. 

Finance to start work on the planning applications has been made available by the local authority’s Strategic Finance Working Group with the green light for this stage in the process also taken behind closed doors.

Both the new leisure centre proposal and Rock Pool redevelopment are key planks of the local authority’s corporate plan.

Significant progress has already made on concept designs and a draft business case developed for the new leisure centre, but both projects won’t come cheap.

It is being suggested that the anticipated £20m cost of an ultra-modern new leisure facility — which would include an indoor pool — could potentially increase, while the final bill to restore the crumbling outdoor Rock Pool at South Promenade could be as high as £7m.

The new leisure centre will be built at the site of the Newcastle Centre in Central Promenade, while various engineering studies have been carried out at the outdoor Rock Pool to determine its long term future.

Demolition work to bulldoze a rear extension at the Newcastle Centre to pave the way for a major new leisure complex has been completed, with the construction of the new multi-million pound leisure facility resulting in the removal of the outdoor Tropicana children’s play pool.

The new leisure complex is expected to feature an indoor leisure pool which will include three 30 metre swimming lanes and a dedicated heated play pool for children. The eagerly-awaited new facility will also feature an ultra-modern gymnasium.

At the outdoor seawater Rock Pool, major work is required at the facility which enjoys protected status and has been closed for the past four years.

The council-owned facility opened in the early 1930s, but a specialist survey has confirmed that a number of major issues require urgent attention and that considerable costs are involved.

A number of options for the future of the pool have already been discussed with suggestions that the local authority may join forces with the community in a bid to secure grant funding to carry out much-needed repairs. 

It has previously been reported that the Rock Pool’s concrete structure has extensively degraded, while the filtration system is almost unusable, with seawater pipes so corroded that rust is coming off them and contaminating the water being filtered. 

The pool is unable to retain water as a result of cracks in the concrete and has been described as no longer fit-for-purpose. There are also concerns the pool does not comply with current health and safety standards.

Mournes councillors have welcomed the decision to make the necessary finance available to work up the design of the leisure centre and Rock Pool projects to the formal planning application stage.