Ambitious plans linked to a new multi-million-pound health hub for Millom can be revealed in more detail for the first time.
A swimming pool, sports courts, fitness studios and upgraded artificial pitch are all proposed in documents prepared for the Government on land at the Millom School site.
The plans form a part of the Activating Community Health project, one of four schemes being developed under the Millom Town Deal.
Working alongside Copeland Borough Council, the Millom Town Deal Board secured an offer of £20.6 million in July 2021 for projects it identified as local priorities.
Mike Starkie, Copeland mayor, said: “We know that residents of Millom are hugely supportive of a new swimming pool and leisure hub for the town and everybody linked to this process has been working incredibly hard to move the vision forward.
“The details we can share today are incredibly exciting, but there is still a lot of work ahead of us. Balancing the funding equation for such a significant investment is a challenging task; we must ensure that the health hub is a viable long term prospect that will serve and be of benefit to the people of Millom for many years to come.
“The business case prepared for this project is now undergoing a thorough review ahead of submission to the government in the summer.”
As part of the project development process, several scenarios were explored. After careful assessment of the benefits and challenges of each, a preferred option was identified.
It includes:
- Community 15m, four-lane swimming pool
- Upgraded 3G surface to the all-weather pitch at Millom School
- Four-court multipurpose sports hall
- Studios for group exercise, classes and dance
- Fitness suite
- Café
It is anticipated that the new leisure hub would be open to the community all year round, including during term time, attracting in the region of 260,000 visits every year. It would also ensure almost 300 schoolchildren would have direct access to the facilities, enabling swimming lessons to be delivered without the need to travel to other towns with pool facilities.
The Activating Community Health project aims to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents, promote social inclusion, increase employability, attract visitors, improve resident and investor perceptions of the town, and help retain and attract young people and families
Robert Morris-Eyton, chair of the Millom Town Deal Board, said: “The Activating Community Health project represents a wonderful opportunity for Millom and its surrounding villages.
“Diversifying the sports and recreation offer in our town will create more jobs – encouraging more people to visit and spend time in Millom, strengthening the local economy.
“The Health Hub project plan has been assembled against the backdrop of challenging economic circumstances, with increased costs of building materials and services at the forefront of our minds.
“We very carefully considered various options as part of the project development process, and believe we have a robust plan that gives us the best possible chance of delivering a sustainable health hub with a swimming pool for Millom.”
Two schemes closely aligned to the Activating Community Health project have already been delivered using money from the Town Deal Accelerator Fund.
An upgrade of children’s play areas at both Millom and Haverigg Parks has been completed, while the Millom Community Track was opened in 2021 to promote more walking, running and cycling in the town.
Activating Community Health is one of four projects that form the Millom Town Deal. The other three are:
The Iron Line – A proposal to transform the unique coastal lagoon into an inspiring visitor attraction which fuses ecology, heritage and art within an inclusive recreational space around the sea wall.
Reactivating Heritage Buildings – A proposal to significantly enhance Millom Town Centre by bringing derelict, vacant and underused heritage buildings back into active use to increase vitality and footfall.
Connected Millom and Haverigg – Improving Millom’s transport network to create a gateway to the town at the railway station, while transforming cycling and walking infrastructure in both Millom and Haverigg.
The Millom Town Deal projects have now reached the assurance stage which means the plans are undergoing final assessment before being submitted to the government later this year.
More details for each of the projects will be made available after the assurance stage is complete when people will be able to comment on the proposals.
