Exeter leisure centre overhaul finally reaches next stage

Plans to overhaul an Exeter leisure centre have finally been submitted for approval, five years after they were first announced. It is hoped that the redeveloped centre will improve the health of people living in an area with high levels of physical inactivity and poor health outcomes.

Exeter City Council confirmed yesterday (November 25) that it had submitted the planning application for a new Community Wellbeing Hub in Wonford, which will be a redevelopment of the existing Wonford Leisure Centre.

The authority has said that the facility will be "a light and inclusive space connected to the Ludwell Valley Park". Having previously named Wonford the most deprived ward in the city, the council says the new hub will encourage community and sports events and improve the wellbeing of residents.

The announcement that plans have been submitted comes five years after discussions first began about supporting the health of Wonford. Exeter City Council said in February this year that it would share the proposals at public sessions and would then submit plans in the spring.

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Council leader Phil Bialyk says that the authority is still yet to secure funding for the project but that the approval of planning permission will make this easier.

He said: "This is a fantastic project which will deliver major benefits to the community in Wonford and I am delighted that we are now at a stage where we can submit a planning application. Of course, we are fully aware that funding still needs to be secured in order to deliver this much-needed development.

"But securing planning permission will assist in the process and may also speed up delivery, so I am delighted that this significant milestone has been reached."

Cllr Duncan Wood, Lead Councillor for Leisure Services and Healthy Living, said: "We have worked very closely with the community in Wonford on these plans and it is fantastic that we are now at the stage where a planning application can be submitted.

"This Council is committed to putting health and wellbeing at the heart of everything we do, and I know that this facility will be a major benefit to the local community in Wonford by creating an amazing space for people to enjoy social, wellbeing and physical activities.

"This is a really important milestone for this exciting project and I am so pleased that we have been able to get the project to this stage with the support of the local community."