Changes to sports centre plan mean saving of nearly £1m

plans for a new sports centre on the edge of Huddersfield town centre have been scaled back to save almost £1m.

The design of the building has been changed to reduce costs and a planned bowling area has been dropped.

Squash facilities will now be on the ground floor, using an area which had been planned for bowls.

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The impact on bowlers will be lessened by the fact that there is an all-weather bowling facility at Leeds Road, said a council spokesman.

The changes will save the council over £900,000.

A council spokesman said: “Drastic cuts in government funding mean the council has to make over £80m of savings across all services, and this includes a fall in spending on the sports centre.

“A review identified areas within the scheme that could be changed to reduce capital costs whilst still providing excellent family facilities and value for money.”

The sports centre is proposed for the current site of Spring Grove car park.

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It would replace the run-down centre on Southgate which needs massive investment to be brought up to modern standards.

A large amount of the funding will come from the sale of the Southgate land to Tesco for a new store.

Councillor Mehboob Khan, leader of Kirklees Council, said: “We are committed to a new sports centre because it would be a real boost for Huddersfield, attract more visitors into the town centre and help people follow a healthy lifestyle.

“It would also replace an outdated facility which is nearing the end of its natural life – in fact the current sports centre is a liability for council tax payers.

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“At the same time, councils are facing the toughest economic climate in living memory and we must look very carefully at how and where we use our limited resources.

“In Kirklees we are trying to balance the need to make over £80m of savings against the need to protect vulnerable residents and maintain high-quality services.”

He said the council had no choice but to scale back some facilities. Planning permission for the sports centre was granted in November.