Councillors have implored residents to write to Cheshire East Council demanding that the current Congleton Leisure Centre redevelopment project plans are reinstated and started immediately.

Nub News previously reported that Cheshire East Council has decided to pause the leisure centre project with a review into the plans earmarked for Autumn.

The redevelopment scheme was due to start in January, but to date there has been no progress.

The plans include replacing the existing swimming pool with a new six-lane swimming pool, creating a new learner pool, community meeting spaces, a soft play area with café access and gym facilities over two floors.

Councillor Mick Warren, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for communities, said: "The leisure industry in general is facing uncertain times in view of the pandemic and, unfortunately, the council has had to take the difficult decision to pause this project for the time being.

"However, it will be reviewed again in the autumn.

Speaking at Thursday's virtual Congleton Town Council meeting, Cllr Russell Chadwick, a critic of the decision to delay the redevelopment, said: "Congleton residents have been waiting many years for a replacement leisure centre, therefore I was shocked as were our residents when Cheshire East released a press statement postponing the rebuilding of the leisure centre.

"Please be under no illusions that this postponement is a smokescreen for its cancellation as the plan stands, I have heard it said that we need more swimming lanes to give Congleton an Olympic sized swimming pool with the additional cost coming from who knows where.

"It is being said that the money will be ringfenced, 'well what does that mean?', it means Cheshire East can hide behind a statement that doesn't state when a spade will go into the ground to start this much-needed project.

"Cheshire East is running a huge deficit, therefore if I were the CEO of Cheshire East, I would be saying to my portfolio holders no more capital projects will be started until further notice.

"Councillors please be under no illusion this leisure centre plan will be lost if we do nothing to save it, indeed I believe it is only with the help of our residents that we can save this project from years of delay."

Cllr Chadwick proposed that Congleton Town Council requested a meeting with Cheshire East portfolio holder Cllr Mick Warren and officials to consider if the town council can help mitigate the issues surrounding the project review.

The Independent councillor also wanted the town council to write an open letter to Cheshire East asking for the current plans to be reinstated and started immediately. Finally, the town council would place an open letter into the public domain for Congleton residents to send to Cheshire East demanding that the project is commenced instantly.

Cllr Chadwick added: "Congleton Town Council will not save this project on its own, we need the backing of our residents to write to Cheshire East demanding the leisure centre starts being built immediately.

"Mark my words if this project doesn't go ahead it will be years before the doors open on a new facility."

Cllr Chadwick also wanted the town council to consider the "fundamental position" of democracy within Congleton Town Council and the link between Cheshire East councillors and town councillors.

Cllr Chadwick added: "When Congleton Town Council debate and vote for a certain proposal or plan from a working group to a committee and ultimately at full council, then surely a Cheshire East councillors role is to represent the democratic position with the town council, not to disregard our views and push ahead with a Congleton centric policy that has been debated by Congleton Town Council and rejected.

"Cheshire East councillors must work hand in glove with Congleton town councillors if we are to improve our town, I read in the press each week about this or that project that Cheshire East are considering that bears no resemblance on the debated position of the town council, democracy must be served and not disregarded."

Cllr George Hayes, one of six Cheshire East ward councillors for Congleton, said: "Ordinarily in such circumstances we would be as town councillors rightly unhappy with Cheshire East Council for renegading on their previous commitment to this town, I don't believe that this should be any different.

"If this process does not progress at pace now, there is no guarantee of this money remaining in the budget.

"Democracy has been truly undermined with this project because as one of the Cheshire East councillors who also serves on this town council, I haven't even had the courtesy to be notified or consulted prior to a public statement being made about a significant infrastructure project in this town.

"I am rightly unhappy with Cheshire East about the decisions and the way this is being handled. I will support any efforts to make sure that this investment can be realised in this town."

Cllr Kay Wesley said: "To actually make an announcement in the press about a major decision considering Congleton and the development of this facility for our town before the town council has been informed is absolutely outrageous.

"We should have been the first people to know that this project was in question for our town and then we should have had a chance to respond before going public in the press."

Town Mayor and ward councillor Cllr Sally Holland said: "As the Mayor of Congleton I was never consulted, I don't know about any of these plans either, I think it's appalling that that can continue to happen and democracy has not been played out here at all."

Cllr Paul Duffy said: "This has highlighted a common thread where there is a disconnect between town council and Cheshire East, this particular issue has been highlighted because none of the Cheshire East councillors have been involved except for one.

"This is about the third time now that this has been brought to council and we are discussing this, I find it very frustrating when we have had a number of votes and opinions on this that we are still getting undermined.

"I am quite rightly furious as others are on this situation. We speak with one voice, I voted against it at the third time, but I changed my mind and we have to get the leisure centre as quickly as possible because if we delay and look for something bigger and better they will just not give us the money.

"If we lose the opportunity now, we are going to lose it forever and it is better to have something then nothing at all."

Cllr David Brown, also a Cheshire East ward councillor, said: "I'm trying to not get emotionally involved in this, I was the portfolio holder for sports and communities back in 2014, when the decision was taken originally to go ahead with this refurbishment of Congleton Leisure Centre.

"Then the monetary value was £8.2m, we had an extensive consultation with the people in Congleton, do you want it in the north, west, or east of the town. Practically unanimously everybody came back and said they wanted the leisure centre in Hankinson's Field.

"They also said they didn't want a lifestyle centre like Crewe, they wanted it as a leisure centre and a recreational facility to go on Hankinson's Field, which was donated to the council for use as a leisure resort.

"The cost of the centre has gone up to £11.2m, I know that Cllr Liz Wardlaw when she was running the portfolio actually approved that spending and further spending of £14m on the rest of leisure centres around the whole of Cheshire East, which I think is the right thing to do, we all know especially now keeping ourselves healthy and fit is very vey important.

"My concern about this is, in terms of the timescale is that plant of machinery is now getting on for nearly 40-years-old, if that plant fails at the swimming pool, that swimming pool will be shut and I don't think that we will ever see it open again.

"The expediency to get this decision through I think we need to force, I think there are some serious questions to be asked of Cheshire East, in their forward plan they actually stated in July, Paul Bayley who is the director responsible for this project was going to seek permission to sign the second phase of the contract, nothing has happened."

Cllr Robert Douglas said: "Speed is of the essence because irrespective of whatever political party is running whatever show, when recessions come, projects like this have a nasty habit of being cancelled.

"We all want Utopia, we all want something bigger and better, but Utopia is like Godot, Waiting for Godot, Godot never comes. If we keep going for Utopia, we will end up with the worst of all worlds, which is making do with what we have at the moment.

"I am dismayed that Cheshire East did not keep to the original timetable and crack on in January because if they had with the Covid-19 recession notwithstanding, seven months on we would have no concerns whatsoever about when this project would have gone ahead or not."

Cllr Suzy Firkin requested that the town council's six ward councillors come to future meetings with some proposals on how the communication between the town council and Cheshire East can be "improved".

Cllr James Smith felt that the town council as a "major stakeholder" should be receiving regular project updates similar to what they receive from Graham regarding the ongoing Congleton Link Road.

Cllr Holland added: "What we don't want is that Covid-19 is not used as the reason why this project hasn't been moved forward.

"I would like to make it quite clear that the Hankinson family many many years ago bequeathed Hankinson's Field to the town, and it should only be used for facilities such as recreation, that's why the fairs were able to go there and what's why the leisure centre was built there.

"It cannot be repurposed and sold off, and the money used towards something else that could not happen. It is an essential location and when the leisure centre was built, it was built so it could be accessed very easily by all residents and in particular those on the Bromley Farm estate.

"If this project was to go somewhere else in the town, outside of the town it isn't going to be that easy to access."

Cllr Chadwick's proposal was unanimously approved.

In October last year, Congleton Town Council held an emergency meeting to consider a proposal requesting that Cheshire East Council delay the commencement of the leisure centre redevelopment to enable a review to take place. It was agreed that a named vote would be recorded on the item.

Eleven councillors voted in favour, six voted against and two abstained against an amended proposal, which was not to request any delay on the redevelopment of the leisure centre, but to request that Cheshire East specifically recheck the following:

• Adequacy of the provision of badminton and squash courts.
• The parking and access issues for the bowling club.
• The viewing area for the pool and have the ability to incorporate timing boards.

Congleton Leisure Centre's gym and swimming pool will reopen on 1st September.

The leisure facility on Worrall Street is one of four centres in Cheshire East which will form the last part of a phased reopening by Leisure charity Everybody Sport & Recreation.