The new facility at Pleasure Fair Meadow Car Park in Oundle Road would replace the Regional Fitness & Indoor Swimming Centre in Bishop’s Road which needs a large amount of expense to remain operational.
The new site is expected to deliver: an eight lane, 25m pool with 300 spectator seats; a 17mx15m teaching pool; a sauna, 350sqm of ‘leisure water’, with water features and a toddler splash area; a 175-station gym; two exercise studios, a yoga studio and a spin studio; a four-court sports hall and a soft-play area, as well as potentially a café.
The car park was chosen as the best location following a review by SLC (the Sport, Leisure and Culture Consultancy) which examined a number of potential sites in the city.
These are the options they considered and why each one was ruled out (or in).
5. North Westgate
The regeneration site is allocated for a “major mixed-use scheme” which could include leisure. But SLC said: “The site is unlikely to be available in even the medium term and the council controls only very small elements of it currently. These represent significant constraints on using this area for this use at present.”
6. Wellington Street Car Park
The site benefits from “excellent access by car” and can be used for leisure in the future. But it would be a “relatively isolated development in the context of regenerating the main city centre and enhancing the overall sense of place; other sites are superior in this regard”. Photo: Midlands
7. Pleasure Fair Meadow Car Park
Development “would further strengthen the significant regeneration of the South Bank area, and it would be highly visible from the East Coast Main Line; this visibility of the site and the regeneration of the surrounding areas represents an excellent opportunity to highlight Peterborough’s continued growth and success to a large audience of national train travellers." Photo: Midlands