Council to seek funding for new leisure centre

Council leaders are hoping to secure government funding to replace a city's largest leisure centre.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council first announced plans in 2024 to replace the "outdated" Fenton Manor Sports Complex, potentially with a new city centre facility.

The proposal was included in the council's new indoor sports facilities strategy, focused on maintaining and improving provision in the area over the next 20 years.

Cabinet members approved the new strategy at a meeting this week.

A council report said Fenton Manor was "operating beyond its projected lifespan" and its swimming pools were now at "significant risk of failure".

It recommended the council commissions a feasibility study to establish the cost of replacing the centre, and explore options for a new facility as part of a major city centre regeneration scheme.

"Fenton Manor is old. I like it – I could see why a lot of other people might find it a bit old and shabby," said council leader Jane Ashworth.

"We will keep it going until we get a better facility and we're hoping there will be opportunities from central government funding resources to be able to secure investment for a replacement for Fenton Manor.

"It won't be exactly the same. We need to be alert to changes around funding regimes."

The report said the new centre should include an eight-lane 25m swimming pool, a teaching pool, a sports hall with between 12 and 16 courts, a gym with up to 200 stations and three or four multi-use studios.

It said Fenton Manor's existing squash court may not need to be replaced, due to supply of courts elsewhere which analysis found could meet existing and future demand.

Ashworth added: "It's vital that we create great offers of a safe, friendly place to be active round the corner from your house.

"We know that particularly when you're eight years old, the chances of being able to make your own way to one of our big leisure centres, unless you live round the corner, is a non-starter."

She added: "I think it is likely we'll be able to talk to external funding bodies to bring in the resources to bring these community facilities up to a reasonable standard."

Another issue covered by the strategy was the lack of indoor tennis or bowls provision in Stoke-on-Trent.

It suggested there could be low-cost solutions to this, such as installing canopies over existing tennis courts at Hanley Park.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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