PLANS for a new multi-million-pound sports centre at Handy Cross have been unveiled by council bosses - who say it will have the “wow factor”.

The £25m sports complex would be built directly behind the current sports centre, which would be closed and demolished once its replacement is open.

The complex - which could be open by 2015 - will have eight sports courts, a new gymnasium, an eight-lane 50m swimming pool and a training pool.

A food-hall, “business-like” hotel, a “prestigious” office block and a coachway park will also make up phase one of the development.

The coachway will offer direct links to London, Oxford, major airports as well as shuttle buses every 15 minutes to and from the Eden shopping centre.

A crèche and a medical-centre will also make up part of the site and additional office space will be added in phase two, when the existing sports centre will be knocked down.

Wycombe District Council unveiled the footprint of the plan this week and begins a three-week public consultation on Monday to discover what residents think of the plans and what facilities they would like in the centre.

Deputy leader Cllr Arif Hussain said: “We really want residents to share our excitement about these redevelopment proposals.

“They will create new leisure facilities, new jobs, new transport connections and a new focus for the entrance to the town.

"The aim is to build a new, first class leisure centre as part of a wider, comprehensive redevelopment of the sports centre site.

“We have to make sure it’s accessible and people’s great expectations are managed, we want to offer them something that is different, we want to attract new users and we hope the food-hall will bring people on board.”

The synthetic sports pitches will move across the Marlow Hill to John Hampden Grammar School, which requested the facility.

And the council want to build an eight-lane running track, multi-purpose sports games area, skatepark and allotments at the Buckmaster playing fields, near the John Lewis store in Cressex.

Plans to relocate the athletics track to Sir William Ramsay School in Hazlemere were thrown out by the authority’s planning committee in 2009 - scuppering proposals for a larger coachway/park-and-ride (see link).

Bucks Free Press: Handy Cross sports centre plan

WDC’s Head of Property Service, Charles Brocklehurst, said he does not foresee a repeat of the track-row and says light and traffic issues should not be a problem this time around.

He said: “There’s enthusiasm for that because, besides a bit of dog walking, it doesn’t provide much in the way of facilities for people.

“The two local ward members are full of enthusiasm, it preserves the site as an open space and improves it as it is currently a bit dead.

“If we held competitive events there, we would have to look at the times in which we held them, but we would approach the likes of Johnson & Johnson and Cressex Community School to ask if we can use their car parks”

Construction and the relocation of the running-track and synthetic pitches would see the overall project cost about £40m in total.

It would be funded by cross-financing, land sale and the authority is pressing the Department for Transport for cash towards the coachway project.

The council is working with development management firm MACE, which is behind the on-site delivery of the London 2012 Olympics and The Shard.

Cllr Hussain added: “The sports clubs we’ve spoken to are really excited and we want to deliver something with a wow factor.

“And people are really excited - we want to make sure we listen to residents and deliver a) what they want and b) ensure it is an iconic facility.”

sports centre plans at a glance

  • New £25m sports centre including eight sports courts, a new gym, eight-lane 50m swimming pool and training pool opening in 2015.
  • The current Wycombe Sports Centre would remain open during construction.
  • A coachway/park-and-ride, food-hall, hotel, office blocks aimed at “multi-national businesses”, crèche and medical facility make up the site.
  • Synthetic sports pitches would move across the Marlow Hill to John Hampden Grammar School to make way for the new scheme.
  • A new eight-lane athletics track, multi-purpose sports games area, skatepark and allotments would be erected at the Buckmaster playing fields.
  • Sports centre construction and the relocation of the running-track and synthetic pitches would see the overall project cost about £40m in total.
  • It would be funded by cross-financing, land sale and WDC is looking for a grant from the Department for Transport towards the coachway project.

THE three-week consultation kicks off at Wycombe Sports Centre on Monday. The exhibition will be on display at the Handy Cross sports centre during the sports centre’s opening hours until Sunday, November 13.

It then moves to Wycombe District Council’s Queen Victoria Road offices for one week from Monday, November 14 during office hours. Members of the project team will also be on hand to answer residents’ questions on the following days:

Monday 31 October - 10am to 2pm
Wednesday 2 November - 4pm to 8pm
Saturday 5 November - 10am to 12 noon
Thursday 10 November - 4pm to 8pm
Monday 14 November - 10am to 2pm
Friday 18 November - 1pm to 4.45pm

For more information visit www.wycombe.gov.uk