Pool plans are nearly there

After splashing out on plans for Hebden Royd’s first ever swimming pool, members say construction will still go ahead but amendments will be made to bring the build back into an affordable budget.

Previous plans, submitted to Calderdale Council Planning Committee for permission, have been amended to bring the escalating cost of previous plans down by £800,000.

To reduce the previous total building cost of the Royd Pool and Fitness Centre, situated on Mytholmroyd Community and Leisure Centre car park, Caldene Avenue, from £2m to £1.2m, the roof will no longer be ‘green’ and instead, will be slightly pitched and the total number of windows will be less.

Mytholmroyd Community Association committee had hoped the swimming pool, which has been in the planning for over one hundred years, would have been open for public use by now. It is now hoped building work will be commissioned by Elland contractors Marshall Ltd, in September.

Mytholmroyd Community Association secretary, councillor Richard Marshall MBE (Luddenden Foot, Con), who has been on the committee since 2006, says it’s been a long and arduous task but says he and other committee members feel confident plans will finally come to fruition. “With experienced Marshall contractors at the helm, I’m confident work shall go ahead. It’s a case of being previously let down but amendments to plans bring the project back into realistic vision,” he said.

The proposed plans consist of approximately 850 metre squared single storey building with swimming pool, aerobics room, gym and changing facilities.

The Calderdale Council Planning Committee determination date is September 25.