The planning application for the new Manor Park Leisure Centre was approved by East Northamptonshire Council last night at a meeting of the Council’s Development Control Committee.
The proposed development by East Northamptonshire Council, working in partnership with Rushden Town Council, will provide residents with access to wet and dry leisure facilities in one purpose built building. The modern, energy efficient leisure centre is to be located at Manor Park and represents a £13m investment in the area’s sports, fitness and leisure facilities.
It will replace the existing Splash Leisure Pool in Station Road and Pemberton Centre in H.E. Bates Way, which are in need of upgrading, and free up town centre sites for redevelopment. Final approval still needs to come from Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM) but once this final hurdle is overcome work can begin in the very near future.
Leader of the Council, Councillor Andy Mercer, said:
"This is excellent news for the town and I am extremely pleased that Rushden’s regeneration is finally under way. It has suffered badly over the last few decades, with slowly decaying infrastructure and a lack of investment.
East Northamptonshire Council and our partners, Rushden Town Council, needed a step change for the town, and have worked hard to achieve it. Hopefully, the next decade will see a growing, more vibrant town, and one that will be fit for the 21st Century.”
Councillor Colin Wright, Leader of Rushden Town Council, adds:
“We are very pleased indeed that this partnership project is about to get off the ground and look forward to seeing the future town centre improvements it will doubtless bring.”
Simon Evans, Chief Executive of North Northants Development Company, said:
”This is a major step forward for an exciting project which will deliver a major upgrade in the breadth and quality of leisure facilities available to the residents of Rushden, Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough and the surrounding villages. Equally importantly, the development will unlock sites in the town centre that will provide the catalyst for revitalising Rushden and help create opportunities for private sector invest.
East Northamptonshire Council is providing up to £11m in funding for the project and an additional £2m has been secured by North Northants Development Company from the Government’s Growth Fund. £800,000 has also been provided by the East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) through Northamptonshire Enterprise Ltd.
The decision of the Development Control Committee will now be reviewed by the Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM), which ensures national planning policies are applied within the region, and which will make the final decision on whether to approve the application.