Work on new swimming pool to continue despite coronavirus outbreak

Work on Chard’s new swimming pool and leisure centre will continue in spite of the coronavirus pandemic.

South Somerset District Council has committed £3M to regenerating the town centre, with the first phase including the delivery of a new pool on the former ACI site off Silver Street.

Planning permission for the new facility was awarded in September 2019, with demolition of unnecessary buildings on the site concluding at the end of February.

The council has now assured residents that construction work will get under way on Monday (March 23) as originally planned, and it will be taking steps to ensure it can proceed on schedule.

Work on the council’s other regeneration schemes – in Yeovil and Wincanton respectively – will also continue.

A council spokesman said: “We plan to press ahead with the regeneration schemes in Chard, Yeovil and Wincanton.

“These are important to the long-term futures of our towns and communities, and will provide vital investment at a time when we know there will be strain on the local economy.

“Clearly, how we deliver our plans may need some adjustments and we will take stock over the coming weeks.”

The council’s Marketfield car park – behind the Royal Mail delivery office – will be closing to the public on Monday (March 23).

This temporary closure will provide a base for the construction work, allowing “better movement across the site” and thereby enabling work to continue on schedule.

Visitors and residents will still be able to use the nearby Bath Street, Boden Street and Crowshute car parks, while season ticket holders for both Marketfield and Combe Street can park in Essex Close.

If all goes to plan, the swimming pool and leisure centre will be completed and open to the public by August 2021.

Plans for phase two of the regeneration scheme, involving the revamping of Boden Mill and Holyrood Mill, will be brought forward in the autumn.

Councillor Jason Baker, portfolio holder for the Chard regeneration scheme, said: “This is an exciting time for the regeneration scheme; the public will finally start to see the delivery of the leisure centre, with steelworks starting in the coming weeks.

“Demolition works were completed on time and the project is set to be delivered by August 2021, as planned.

“Our ambitious scheme has been a priority project for the organisation for the last couple of years, and consultation with the public helped devise and bring forward plans for the redevelopment of the Boden Mill site.

“I’m pleased to see building works of phase one now well under way.”