THE results of a £20,000 feasibility study to be made by independent consultants on the latest plans for a long-awaited Minehead public swimming pool, are expected to be known by March next year, the organisers of the Minehead Pool and Wellbeing Project said this week.

The 25-metre pool, which would be built on the Irnham Road recreation ground, will replace the Aquasplash facility which closed in 2008 and is now the site of a Lidl store.

The new study, to be carried out by consultants Strategic Leisure Ltd of Bridnorth, Shropshire, will support future grant applications to build the pool and a range of well-being facilities, including a gym.

Should the project eventually get the green light to go ahead it is hoped that construction could start in 2027.

The money comes from a £230,000 Government grant and has been allocated to the Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) and the Somerset Coastal Place Partnership (SCPP), by Sport England.

Sport England’s executive director Lisa Dodd-Mayne said: “We are excited to see what we can achieve together in Somerset.”

The grant’s aim is to boost levels of physical activity along the coast from Porlock to Burnham-on-Sea and Bridgwater - one of 27 areas identified nationally by Sports England as needing investment in inequality and physical health.

Two volunteer groups, Minehead Health and Wellbeing and Minehead Swimming and Leisure, which had previously worked on separate pool plans, agreed to join forces in May this year on a joint project to give the town a much-needed tourist and fitness facility.

Minehead Town Council has allocated land on the recreation ground for the project, which is supported by more than 1,000 local people.

Currently, the nearest full-sized pool is more than 20 miles away.

SASP chief executive officer Jane Knowles said: “Through this partnership with Sport England we have a real opportunity to work alongside our coastal communities to remove the barriers which prevent people from being active.”

She said it was ‘unheard of’ for a coastal town not to have a pool.

Bruce Lang, a director of the project and former West Somerset Council assistant chief executive, told the Free Press: “We are delighted that SASP has allocated around £20,000 to carry out a feasibility study into our proposal.

“This will enable professional experts who have experience across the country in working on similar projects to examine the work we have done to date and help us formulate a deliverable project that has been much needed since the closure of the last public pool.

“The town council have identified part of the recreation ground where the former football stand was located as their preferred site for a community-led swimming and leisure facility and we are in active discussions with the council regarding a possible lease of the land.

“It is hoped the feasibility study will report back in March.

“Should it be positive, then the project can move forward with seeking further grant funding, planning consent, and finalising leasehold arrangements.”