Preston could yet get Olympic-sized swimming pool
A team of consultants is being paid to develop plans for an Olympic-sized swimming pool in Central Lancashire.
Swimming experts across Preston and the surrounding areas will be given a chance to comment on proposals for a multi-million pound, 50-metre pool.
Preston Swimming Club head coach Steve Heaps said the progress of young swimmers was currently being "hampered" by a lack of facilities.
Management consultancy PMP Genesis, which has offices in Manchester, will carry out a "feasibility study" in the coming weeks, funded by Lancashire Sports Partnership.
PMP was involved with the planning and development of a 20m centre in Portsmouth which houses a 50-metre pool, along with a gym and an outdoor cycling velodrome.
Hopes faded last year that the Lancashire project would happen at all. The plans remained "live" but were not actively being pursued.
However, a funding boost for the latest work means it can progress to the next stage.
Phil Walsh, head of leisure, sports and arts at Preston Council, said the project was still some way from becoming a reality.
He said: "We've just appointed the consultants to start this piece of work and start the consultation process.
"There's no capital at the moment to do this. There's a will from a number of partners, including Preston Vision, to look at this.
"We don't want to raise expectations, certainly until we've got this work completed.
"Getting the funding to do this stage-one piece of work is a real bonus for us."
Mr Heaps said the club had a three to four-month waiting list of people keen to join its teaching programme, adding: "There's most definitely a need for one, it's an absolute must and it has to happen for the future of the sport in our city.
"The biggest thing from a swimming club point of view is pool time. Kids aged seven to 11 are actually having to swim until 9pm when they've got school the day after, purely because of how the pool time is.
"This would solve an awful lot of political problems, in terms of residents and club users, in one fell swoop."
The Lancashire Sport Partnership, which is backing the project, secured 15m last year and said it was committed to researching the pool, plus a second cricket ground and a major cycling event and specialist facilities in Pennine Lancashire.
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Weather for Preston
Thursday 29 July 2010
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 15 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Light rain
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