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A south Suffolk community’s dream of having a brand new community building next to its existing swimming pool has taken a major leap forward.
Last week, Councillors on Babergh District Council’s Strategy Committee backed plans to spend £50,000 on laying the groundwork for a new Hadleigh community building which could include a dance studio, a gym and a hall for hire plus kitchen and changing facilities.
The money will be spent on preparing a business plan as to how the facility could be financed and managed, commissioning architects to produce detailed designs and on the production of a planning application.
The go-ahead for this initial work comes after Babergh and its partners – Hadleigh Town Council and South Suffolk Leisure – completed extensive consultation as to what type of leisure facilities local people most wanted and where they would be best located.
Over two-thirds of those who took part preferred investing in a new building next to the town’s existing swimming pool. The range of features likely to be available at the new community building also received strong support.
According to Cllr. Nick Ridley, Babergh’s Strategy Committee Chairman, “this is such encouraging news for Hadleigh. After months of careful planning and thorough listening to the wishes of local people, the Hadleigh community building is now on the launch pad. We expect the next stage of work to be ready by the autumn or winter of this year, when Babergh councillors will have the chance to press the button and give the project the necessary go-ahead”.
The project has received the preliminary backing of both Hadleigh Town Council and South Suffolk Leisure, with the latter indicating that subject to an acceptable business plan it would be willing to run the operation alongside that of the pool. ENDS.
View the Strategy Committee minutes.
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