Further council scrutiny for St Albans plans
A decision to expand swimming provision at a new £24m leisure complex being developed in St Albans, Hertfordshire, has been called in for further scrutiny by the local authority.
St Albans City and District Council's (SACDC) overview and scrutiny committee will meet on 26 July to examine into the cabinet's decision to increase the size of the main pool to 10 lanes. According to committee chair Robert Donald, the need to change the size of the pool hadn't been "conclusively proven or substantiated" when the cabinet made the decision on 7 June.
"In my view, cabinet changed the contract to increase the pool to ten lanes without proper prior due diligence being given to the revenue impact of these changes," said Donald. Willmott Dixon has been appointed to deliver the S&P Architects-designed facility, which will feature a 500sq m (5,382sq ft) spa area with 60sq m (646sq ft) terrace.
However, alterations to the pool size to add an extra 100sq m (1,076sq ft) of water space has now led to the scrapping of a poolside health suite due to insufficient space. and finishes.