Warsop Health Hub works fully approved to begin in the summer

Mansfield Council has been offered a £1.8 million capital grant by Sport England to kick-start the project, based at Carr Lane Park, off Carr Lane, alongside £3m from the Government’s Towns Fund, £1.5m from council reserves and a loan of £3.5m.

Now, Andy Abrahams, Mansfield mayor, has taken an executive decision to confirm the total project costs and the council’s borrowing amount, to appoint Serco Leisure/More Leisure Community Trust as the centre operator and for works to begin on site in the summer.

Coun Andy Burgin, council portfolio holder for environment and leisure and Warsop Parish Council chairman, said: “We are absolutely thrilled not to have just been successful in our bid for funding to progress our plans at Warsop, but also to have received additional funds of £300,000 to accelerate the program further.

“I’m pleased to say our work doesn’t stop here in trying to secure further funding to support this project, which may reduce the council's borrowing level further.

“We are committed to improving health and wellbeing facilities in the area, and with the offer of a grant from Sport England and full planning permission, we can now press ahead with these exciting plans for Warsop.

“Following a consultation with residents in 2020 about what their priorities were and what they wanted to see in the area, we are delivering this new health hub that’s packed with new facilities inside and outside with the new and improved multi-use games area.”

Once complete in October 2024, the hub will see a new 15 metres by 8m swimming pool, splash play area a changing village, a fitness suite, a multi-purpose hall, café viewing and IT area, multi-purpose meeting/community space and a new and improved multi-use games area.

Speaking during the planning committee meeting on Monday, Maureen Briggs, a resident in the parish, spoke about the benefits of the scheme.

She said: “We have a problem with anti-social behaviour and this development, a community project, has the potential to curb some of that.

“There is no doubt facilities such as this are needed for all age groups.”