Plans to build a new £44m swimming and leisure centre in Stevenage town centre have been approved by the borough council's planning committee.

At a meeting on Tuesday (September 9), councillors voted to grant planning permission for the development despite concerns about a loss of parking and of some sporting facilities.

Facilities currently split between Stevenage Swimming Centre and Stevenage Arts & Leisure Centre will now be provided at the joint facility, on the site of the current swimming centre.

Tom Brennan, chairman of Aqualina Artistic Swimming Club, said that a pool depth of 1.8 metres – well below the current depth of the pool – meant they would not be able to use the facility anymore.

He said: "This will leave the continuation of the club at risk and, as a minimum, will end our proud 50-year association with Stevenage."

Dave Wells, assistant director for Stevenage's regeneration, said: "We know there is a lot of public support for the new leisure centre, but we also know that not everyone supports the precise mix of facilities.

"Please rest assured that we have spent a lot of time, effort and resources ensuring that the new leisure centre supports as many and as wide a range of users as possible.

"It's designed to be as inclusive to as many as possible and provides best value for the community.

"This has meant that not every sport can be provided for to the extent that it is currently; however, we have sought to work with individual groups to direct them to alternative resources, and that support remains available now and into the future."

Another sport that will no longer have a home at the council-owned facility will be squash, with its six current courts reduced to none in the new centre.

The centre will include a ten-lane 25 metre swimming pool, a teaching pool, a splash pad, a six-court sports hall, a gym, studios, changing facilities, a soft play area, and a café.

Mr Wells told councillors that existing facilities are "pretty outdated and unfit for purpose".

He said: "The new leisure centre will mark a massive step forward in our town's history, finally giving the people of Stevenage the high-quality leisure facilities that they deserve.

"We've worked extremely hard to ensure that the facility is inclusive, fit for purpose and takes every opportunity to address the challenges that Stevenage is facing.

"In doing so, we hope that this leisure centre will serve us for at least another five decades."

He said concerns raised by the police around "voyeurism" at existing facilities were misleading, adding: "In the year ending April 2025, there were only four crimes reported at the swimming pool.

"We'd question some of the data recorded at the leisure centre, given the public thoroughfare that passes through it from the station."

A planning officer told the committee that changing areas have "been designed to minimise the risk of voyeurism" and that they met national and local guidance.

A number of councillors raised concerns about the number of parking spaces at the new centre, which will be 53, down from 91 at the existing swimming pool.

Cllr Coleen De Freitas said the existing car park is "full every single day", Cllr Julie Ashley-Wren suggested it would not be enough to cater for groups who want to use the pool, and Cllr Stephen Booth believed it would "cause a major problem".

There was support for the wider plans, though, which passed with only two abstentions and no votes against.

Cllr De Freitas said that, while the loss of some facilities would be "devastating" for the groups that used them, "currently Stevenage can't meet the need for many, many more groups within Stevenage".

"I do see the full merit in this application and the necessary improvements that are needed."

Cllr Lynda Guy said: "We absolutely need it. You've got to break a few eggs to make an omelette. I really think the positives far, far outweigh the negatives. We need a flipping new swimming pool."

The new centre will increase the amount of swimming space from 480sqm to 695sqm, and will be built while the existing pool is still in use.

The project as a whole is expected to cost £44.2m, with £10m of that coming through the government's Towns Fund.