MP welcomes plans to improve Ulverston Leisure Centre

The MP for Barrow and Furness has welcomed plans passed by SLDC today to modernise the facilities at Ulverston’s Leisure Centre based at Priory Road.

Simon Fell MP chairs the GSK Task Force which is striving to secure a positive legacy for Ulverston, once GSK withdraw from their Ulverston base later on this year.

SLDC’s cabinet today approved phase one of their three part ‘Master Plan’ that has been produced by working together with the MP’s Task Force. Local Leaders, and GSK are represented on the Task Force.

Phase one will include relocating three football pitches, the crown green bowling green and an informal running route from the GSK site, releasing land for potential future employment use, as well as remodelling the indoor tennis centre and additions to changing facilities.

This is made possible thanks to a £2 million investment from GSK.

Further project development work is required before phases 2 and 3 can be progressed.

Phase 2 would include: the provision of a new 25-metre, six-lane swimming pool adjoining the tennis centre, car parking remodelling, and further internal work to the tennis centre, with an estimated cost of £5.4m.

Two courts in the tennis centre would continue to be exclusively used for tennis, one court would be repurposed as a multi-sport sports hall, capable of continued use for tennis as required, and one court would be repurposed as a 60-station gym facility with studio.

Phase 3 would include refurbishment of the existing all-weather hockey pitch and refurbishment of the outdoor tennis courts, with an estimated cost of £300,000.

Welcoming this news, GSK Task Force Chair Simon Fell MP said:

“As Chair of the GSK Taskforce, I am delighted that SLDC have approved this plan. When I took the reins of the Taskforce, one of our clear objectives was to resolve the logjam of improving leisure facilities in Ulverston. Previous plans for improving the leisure centre on Priory Road had got stuck in the mud, and without freeing up the land currently used by the GSK Sports Club, promoting the site for new businesses to move in, or establishing an Ulverston Life Sciences Cluster, would be very difficult indeed.

“Ulverston can look forward to improved sports and leisure facilities at Priory Road, funded in no small part by a generous donation from GSK. And now the Taskforce can refocus our work on delivering the Life Sciences Cluster that the PM and Life Sciences Minister have committed to support in the House of Commons.”

Phil Wilson, site director of GSK and Task Force member said:

“GSK are delighted that SLDC have now approved the first phase of the plan to create new, improved and more sustainable leisure facilities at Priory Road. This has been a very important topic of discussion for the Taskforce and I am absolutely delighted that the funding committed by GSK will now allow the community to benefit from these new improved facilities.

“Under the leadership of Simon, the Taskforce has made good progress and I very much look forward to continuing to play an active role, on behalf of GSK, in the coming months as we look at a variety of options designed to bring new opportunities to the area and support the local community.”