Proposals for £10m leisure centre

The £10m leisure centre would include an eight lane pool

Plans to build a £10m leisure centre is the main proposal to come out of a new report into East Cambridgeshire's leisure services.

An independent report has recommended the district needs a new purpose-built leisure centre to meet the demands of its growing population.

This would include a new eight-lane swimming pool, a gym and a sports hall.

The recommendation comes after a recent survey in East Cambs revealed 50% of the population take no exercise at all.

The report was presented to members of the community services committee, who have asked council officers to look at the options available to finance the new facilities, with special focus on the affordability and sustainability of the new centre.

A staggering 50% did no exercise at all Councillor Peter Cresswell

Councillor Peter Cresswell, chairman of the community Services Committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: "A new leisure centre would be exciting news for the district and this report makes it clear there is a definite need for new facilities.

"A recent survey in East Cambridgeshire revealed that only 21% of our population took part in the minimum recommended level of exercise a week, while a staggering 50% did no exercise at all.

"Any new leisure centre would certainly help us tackle this statistic."

The opening of the proposed leisure centre could coincide with the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Significant amount

But Mr Cresswell said: "We should not get carried away too soon. We need to assess whether the district council can afford the cost of a new facility.

"The report suggests a new centre is likely to cost in excess of £10 million, which is a significant amount of money."

The report was produced by Strategic Leisure who were commissioned by East Cambridgeshire District Council in autumn 2006 to analyse the current and future needs for the district and identify what would be required to meet these needs.