Council refuses to rule out closing Stockport's Grand Central leisure centre after 'bombshell'

Stockport council has refused to rule out the closure of Grand Central leisure centre. It follows a "bombshell" announcement last week which revealed the 'ageing' building needs a multi-million pound refurbishment worth at least £10m.

Stockport Lib Dems, who run the council, refused to confirm to the MEN whether closing the centre is an option being considered. It's ignited a row between the Lib Dems and Labour over the future of the 30-year-old site.

The facility is run by Life Leisure, a council-owned community interest company (CIC). Labour councillors are worried the Lib Dems could "dump" Grand Central due to the cost of the work.

READ MORE: Greater Manchester's capital of cool is facing a grim problem

It is based near Stockport Exchange, a part of the town undergoing huge regeneration as new offices, shops, and bar open around the town's train station. Stockport Labour's deputy leader Christine Carrigan quizzed the Lib Dems over the future of the facility during a town hall meeting last week, and whether the council is currently looking at ways to secure the required funding.

Lib Dem Coun Jilly Julian, who's in charge of finances at Stockport town hall, said that Life Leisure are "understanding exactly the nature of the challenges at that facility, and then what potential options might be available in terms of the improvements that might need to be made, funding opportunities that could come from etc."

Ms Carrigan said the response was "was not what I had hoped."

She added: "Having advised that any investment was being worked through by the CIC, it felt like the administration was absolving itself of any responsibility. When pressed to confirm that they were looking to secure that investment, the answer was 'not quite' and they were looking at options.

"I recognise the facility does need investment to fully serve existing residents and the thousands of people who will be moving into the town centre. All I am really looking for, as both the chair of the finance and resource scrutiny committee and the ward councillor responsible for Life Leisure Grand Central, is that the option to dump this facility is not one being considered."

Stockport Lib Dems said support from the next national government is needed to secure the future of the site.

Mark Roberts, the council's deputy leader, said: “The cabinet member is being quoted out of context. This, like many other aspects of local government, is best resolved by whoever wins the general election taking the concerns of local people seriously and moving forward in a collaborative way."

When asked about the potential closure of the leisure centre, Stockport council referred to a previous statement, which shared that the town hall will "continue to work to establish proposals for the future."

Life Leisure Grand Central is used by residents in many areas of the borough, and those living and working around the growing town centre. It is a point of pride for the town, being home to Stockport Metro swimming club which has produced Olympic medal winners.

But in March, a planning application was submitted for a new community hub in Marple, costing £20 million. This has led to concerns over which areas are being prioritised for leisure facilities.

Matt Wynne, leader of the Edgeley Community Association, said the site is used by "countless" residents in Edgeley and Cheadle Heath.

He added: "It's an enormous sum of money to secure the leisure centre's future. We are anticipating a massive growth in population in the town centre over the course of this decade and beyond. The administration is going to need to find the money in the same way it got the £20 million or so for Marple."