New Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre: Western Way Development plans to be displayed in exhibition

Plans for a multi-million pound public sector hub including a new leisure centre in Bury St Edmunds are to go on display in an exhibition.

A consultation is underway on the Western Way Development and the proposals will exhibited at Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre on Friday, September 6, from 2pm to 7pm, where residents can give their views and talk to the project team.

Cllr Jo Rayner, portfolio holder for leisure, culture and community hubs at West Suffolk Council, said it is ‘an exemplar project nationally on how public services can work in a more joined up way to be better than the sum of their parts’.

The development would see a new leisure centre built on West Suffolk Council’s depot in Olding Road while the steel frame of the depot building and an adjoining warehouse would be re-used for a facility to house public services.

The existing leisure centre, in Beeton’s Way, which is nearly 45-years-old, would be demolished to make way for a car park and accommodation for West Suffolk College students.

Meanwhile, the skate park remains and would be 20 per cent larger as the skate bowl would be moved to make way for improvements to the Western Way/Olding Road junction.

Leisure centre facilities include a 10-lane 25m swimming pool and a zone with a beach pool for toddlers and a splash park with slides, jets, water cannons and slides.

There would also be a health and fitness suite, four studios for fitness classes, three treatment/consultation rooms and a four court sports hall.

A key feature of the public sector hub building is a proposed health centre and the site creates opportunities for other partners to join.

Work on exploring the business case has involved Suffolk County Council, the Government, all parts of the NHS, police, Abbeycroft Leisure and West Suffolk College.

• Read more: Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre could move to new site in multi-million pound Western Way Development for public services
• Read more: Improvements needed to road and transport links for Western Way Development in Bury St Edmunds, say councillors

Cllr Rayner added: “Experience shows that when services such as health, leisure, education and other public services are put together that not only is it easier to access services but also the outcomes are much better.

“By sharing public services we also open up land they previously occupied for other uses, such as much needed homes.”

Improvements planned to junctions at Beetons Way, Olding Road and Newmarket Road as well as at Asda roundabout include wider lanes and more lanes.

The consultation runs until September 10 and to have a say, visit www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/wwd