"Time of essence" to build new Dudley leisure centre
Council leader Patrick Harley has declared "time is of the essence" to build a new leisure centre in Dudley.
Plans are in place to build a £17m modern centre on Flood Street car park, in the town centre, to replace Dudley's existing site on Wellington Road, which is outdated.
Councillor Harley hopes the new leisure will open by 2021 - in time for the arrival of the Midlands Metro tram line, through Dudley, and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham the following year.
A public exhibition of the project is currently being held at the Wellington Road leisure centre until September 11.
Councillor Harley told the Express & Star: "We hope - providing everything goes to plan - that we can open the new leisure centre by Spring to Autumn 2021.
"That will be in time for the Metro and more importantly the Commonwealth Games which are happening the following year. So time is very much of the essence.
"You always get a spike in usage of sports facilities - being privately-owned or council-owned - when you have got a big sporting event on.
"We expect the leisure centre to have a spike in usage when the Commonwealth Games are on."
The new leisure centre forms part of a £31m project by Dudley Council to invest in the borough's leisure facilities.
This also include huge revamps of Halesowen and Stourbridge leisure centres, which will take place at the same time as Dudley's new leisure centre is built.
The council has decided to build a new leisure centre because the current one is outdated.
There is also a strategic element to the plans. It is hoped the new location will bring more footfall to Dudley, being closer to the town centre.
The proposed leisure centre is located around a seven minute walk from Dudley's bus station and there will be a tram stop located right next to the site.
But the council must first receive planning approval.
Councillor Harley hopes a planning application - to build on the council-owned Flood Street car park - will be submitted imminently to the council's planning committee.
Currently the land does not have much use and has been used as illegal traveller camps in recent weeks.
Under the plans, some parking will be lost but it is hoped there will still be around 150 spaces for cars.
The new leisure centre will feature a 25m swimming pool, large state of the art gym, five court sports hall, a number of studios to host activities such as spin classes, and an onsite café.
Dudley's existing leisure centre will remain open while the new project gets underway. Once the new centre opens, the old one will close.
Councillor Harley said the land will be sold off for housing and the current building will be demolished.
He says the money generated from the sale of the land will go towards paying for the new leisure centre.
He added: "I think it is great for the people of Dudley because for the last 10 years or so, we have had to reduce budgets, we have had to really take away and reduce some of the services that our residents really do love.
"I think now we are showing signs - particularly under our leadership (the Conservatives, as opposed to Labour) of the council - where we are not reducing services.
"We are really taking that gamble to invest, to borrow, and to provide world class leisure facilities that will last us for the next 30 years and beyond.
"I think we are really bucking the trend here in Dudley. We are confident that we can manage our finances prudently.
"But we are not afraid to save let us invest in the people of Dudley. And this is an investment in the people of Dudley."
