Plans for Spalding’s Castle Sports Complex due to go before South Holland District Council’s planning committee in November

A decision on whether to approve £26 million plans to revamp the leisure centre could take place by the end of the year - with a councillor calling for progression or face the ‘disastrous’ possibility of losing the money.

The ageing Castle Sports Complex in Spalding is due to be getting a major revamp, which will include new swimming pools and 3G pitches, after securing a £20million Levelling Up grant last year.

South Holland District Council held a public consultation earlier this year on plans for the Health and Wellbeing Hub at the Castle Sports Complex before submitting the planning application in May.

Members of the council’s planning committee are due to be discussing the application in November, officials have told this website.

A spokesman said: “The application for the new Health and Wellbeing Hub at the Castle Sports Complex site is currently awaiting final amends to the proposed design before it can be considered by the planning committee.

“We anticipate it will appear at committee before the end of the year, and at this time that is most likely to take place in November.”

One person who has been calling for action on improving the Castle Sports Complex in Long Sutton councillor David Wilkinson.

He is concerned about the costs rising but also that the Government could pull the funding as part of its bid to find savings.

Coun Wilkinson said: “I am disappointed that we are not moving forward as the longer we hang on the more likely the costs are going to go up.

“It is concerning as the longer this goes on there is not only the cost aspect but if we don’t get started there is the possiblity that we lose the funding which would be distarious as we have promised the people of this district for years that we are going to do something with that.”

The revamped Castle Sports Complex could include a new 3G floodlit football pitch, changing pavilion and multi-use games area for a variety of other sports.

Three new swimming pools, including a large pool, teaching pool and a splash pad are also planned to go into the complex, which is off Albion Street. The old pool would be knocked down to make way for sheltered housing — with the ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ sides brought together on one site.

Additionally, there will be community rooms and space dedicated for use to provide a health and wellbeing hub, as well as an Extra Care housing scheme for the district's older residents on the site of the current pool.

The application had received £20 million of Levelling Up money last year with the district council also expected to stump up £6million to go towards the project.

There is an intention for construction to get underway in winter 2024, with the main hub building opening to the public in summer 2026.

Meanwhile, the community group working to save the closed Deepings Leisure Centre is still awaiting a response to a bid for funding which would allow them to reopen the facility.

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