Hunslet: New pool for kids swimming lessons in Leeds could soon open in old Magnet kitchen showroom
A new pool for kids swimming lessons could open in a former kitchen showroom in Leeds, if plans are given the green light.
Led by Olympian Rebecca Adlington MBE, ‘Swim!’ has been opening state of the art centres around the UK for the last few years. The nearest to Leeds are in Bradford, Batley, and Castleford.
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The city could soon have its own centre if the council approves an application for change of use at a retail unit on the City South Retail Park in Hunslet, formerly home to a Magnet store.
Whilst ‘Swim!’ would be the primary tenant, the application explains that the company has been given permission by the landlord to sublet part of the space to a food outlet such as Greggs or Subway for it “to be commercially viable”.
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The application adds: “This opportunity to sub-let the additional sqm of the site means Swim! will be able to open a new pool facility, whilst also adding a supporting food and beverage offer to the retail park - something which is currently lacking.
“Swim! will be investing over £1 million into the site, ensuring they are providing a quality facility to benefit the local community. The food & beverage offer, allowing a quality convenience brand like Greggs, Subway or similar to be on the site will complement the current retail offering, providing opportunity for increased dwell time and linked trips to other units.”
As well as the pool, the plans include a dedicated viewing gallery, changing facilities, and retail space to “provide an excellent, inviting environment for children’s swim lessons”.
According to the plans, there are more than 52,000 children living within a 15 minute drive of the site and “there are simply not enough lessons available within the area”. The closest is at Fearnville Leisure Centre.
The company also cites statistics from Sport England and Swim England, which show that more than 1,000 publicly accessible pools have closed since 2010, with a projected shortfall of 40 per cent in accessible pools by 2030 if no action is taken.