By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
Plans to revamp a leisure centre and youth club in Cotgrave in a bid to “enhance” the facility for the community and make it more energy efficient look set for approval.
Rushcliffe Borough Council has submitted plans to refurbish the Cotgrave Leisure Centre, in Woodview, including the building of a new entrance lobby to the youth club, as well as new toilets and office space.
To make the existing building more energy efficient, the council plans to install an air-source heat pump to replace the old boilers and “outdated” heating and hot water systems.
The pump will use electricity from renewable sources to draw heat from the air and transfer it into the swimming pool and surrounding areas, resulting in up to 300 per cent better efficiency.
Electric vehicle chargers will also be installed in the car park.
The plans have been submitted after the authority announced it would be investing £1.2m in the facility, having received funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
Plans, which have been recommended for approval at an upcoming Planning Committee meeting on April 11, say: “The application proposes alterations to the leisure centre building including a replacement entrance canopy, replacement bike store, and the external siting of a plant room to the east side of the building and substation to the north east corner of the car park.
“Various internal alterations are proposed including the formation of a separate youth club lobby, toilets and office. The youth club would be served by a separate access from the Woodview elevation.
“A glazed canopy is proposed at the youth club entrance. Within the leisure centre entrance the alterations would include new accessible changing provision, the reconfiguration of toilets and repositioning of management office.
“The application seeks the enhancement of leisure and community facilities including the enhancement of the youth club through the provision of enhanced facilities and a dedicated entrance, installation of a new plant room and air-source heat pump to improve energy efficiency, a replacement entrance canopy to improve the appearance of the building and a covered cycle rack to improve facilities for users.
“Additional lighting is proposed comprising wall-mounted floodlights to the
external access route to the proposed youth club entrance.”
Other improvements include the widening of corridors, an improved dedicated spin studio, a larger dance studio with improved lighting and sound systems and an improved layout to the poolside changing rooms.
Towards the end of March the council said it welcomed a further £250,000 funding for the installation of solar panels.
The additional funding comes from Sport England through the National Lottery Fund, which aims to improve energy efficiency of public swimming pools so the leisure centre becomes “more environmentally and financially sustainable”.
On top of this, a £50,000 grant from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) will help provide a new Changing Places toilet at the leisure centre with work now underway and an expected opening in April.
Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Wellbeing, Cllr Jonathan Wheeler, said: “The solar panels are a fantastic investment that helps us work towards our environmental goals to operate as a carbon neutral Council by 2030.
“In total we’re investing £4.1m in refurbishments and energy efficient upgrades over the next three years at Cotgrave Leisure Centre and Keyworth Leisure Centre.
“We welcome this further funding for solar panels which will help the site to use renewable energy sources, reduce the carbon emissions and lower running costs.
“This investment will also enhance the quality of facilities for and ensure they remain sustainable for future generations.”
