First sight of Oldham’s £15m sports flagship

ARTIST’S impression of the new Oldham Sports Centre.

IMAGES of Oldham’s £15 million flagship leisure centre have been unveiled in an imminent planning application.

Oldham Council has revealed the new centre will have a 25m, eight-lane swimming pool of county-competition standard, a learner pool, an eight-court sports hall with flexible seating for 250 spectators, an 80-station fitness studio and a four-rink indoor bowls hall.

It will also have spectator seating, a sauna and steam room, a wet changing room, a spin studio, two group exercise studios, separate changing facilities for dry sports and fitness suite, cafeteria, improved landscaping and public realm works and a 122-space car park. There will be no diving pool.

Council chiefs say Oldham will be able to hold regional and televised competitions at the improved facilities.

The artist’s impression gives residents a first look at how the Oldham Sports Centre - at the junction of Manchester Street and St Domingo Street - will appear when it replaces the existing centre in autumn 2015. The current Oldham Sports Centre will remain open until then.

Oldham Council leader Councillor Jim McMahon said: “These fantastic first images show our commitment to providing residents with a state-of the-art centre.”

Public displays of the proposals are on show at the Civic Centre and Oldham Sports Centre until the end of February. Drop-in events and meetings with local user groups are also being arranged.