MP Sir John Hayes has called for late changes to plans for the South Holland Health Hub, on which construction has already begun.
He’s asked for the district council to change its plans for the facility so it includes a sauna, a pool with a moveable floor and that the equipment ‘matches the leisure opportunities that appeal to children at other nearby sports and leisure centres’.
The plans for the revamp of the Castle Sports Complex were passed in January last year.
Last Wednesday (January 7) it came back before South Holland District Council’s Planning Committee for what were described as ‘minor in nature’ changes that included to the car park, splitting the construction schedule of the whole site into four phases rather than two and moving the ‘splashpad’ so it was alongside the play area.
Sir John though wrote the day before the meeting to request more changes.
“I share concerns about details which are essential to ensure the new facility is both warmly welcomed and widely used,” the letter states, arguing there should be pool facilities equal to those at Boston and Bourne which have slides. “Making the centre as attractive as possible for children and their parents for repeat visits is vital.”
A moveable floor for the pool, which would allow South Lincolnshire Swimming Club and Spalding Water Polo Club to host competitive events, was included when the original plans were revealed.
However the clubs were angered when it was taken out of the final submission of the plans in November 2024.
“The moveable pool floor would greatly enhance the new hub and is of special significance to the well-established and highly regarded local water polo club,” Sir John said.
At the time Coun Gary Taylor, the portfolio holder for the project, said it had the moveable floor had been taken out because of ‘global matters’ affecting the construction industry and ‘following further ground investigations’.
One facility in the current Spalding Swimming Pool, but that has never been in the plans for the new site, is a sauna.
“It is crucial that the sauna is maintained, given that the capital of running costs of doing so are relatively small and there is significant public appetite for its retention,” Sir John’s submission states.
“After all, the new development is dedicated to ‘wellbeing’.”
Sir John also called for more sex-specific changing rooms at the hub.
“Even at this stage I urge serious consideration of each and all of these improvements to the new development – which I know are strongly supported.”
At the meeting planning officers said that the ‘vast majority of the points are not all that material’ to the matters that were unanimously passed by the Planning Committee.
It’s chairman Coun James Avery saying: “It will be a cracking facility.”
The Voice asked South Holland District Council if it would like to comment but no response had been received at the time of going to press.
The current planned opening for the new South Holland Health Hub is ‘early 2027’ with construction due to be completed at the end of this year.
In an update on work, a spokesman for the district council said: “We are having 250 piles installed to help form the foundations for the new building, asbestos removal has taken place in the existing building ahead of the remodelling, drainage works have also been progressing well.
“In 2026 the new steel frame will be arriving for the new extension and the foundation works will continue.”
The firm Parkwood will continue to run the leisure centre after being awarded the contract by the South and East Lincs Local Council Partnerships.
The new contract starts in April 2026 and includes facilities in Boston it also manages.
It will also mean it takes on the running of centres in East Lindsey too from April 2027.
The partnership has not said how long the contract is for.
