Western Way Hub in Bury St Edmunds costing up to £75 million gains West Suffolk Council approval

The leisure centre phase of the Western Way Hub in Bury St Edmunds can progress to the final stage of tendering – but the health facility in the original plans won’t be included.

West Suffolk Council approved an updated business case for the first stage of the hub with its £40 million new leisure centre yesterday.

Cllr Jo Rayner, portfolio holder for leisure, culture and community hubs, said: “Delivering a new leisure centre in West Suffolk will significantly benefit the current and future community.

“Anyone who uses the current centre will know that it is very tired and in urgent need of an upgrade, which is challenging in the current financial climate.

“By taking this new phased approach and staying within our existing budgets, we can still provide the new, bigger and better facilities people have told us they want to see.

“And at the same time we can tackle health inequalities, improve the mental and physical wellbeing of local people, and encourage everyone to become more active.

“This is what we have already seen in our other hub projects in other towns in West Suffolk.”

West Suffolk Council was an investor in the Mildenhall Hub, which includes sports, education and health facilities.

The cabinet approved plans for the hub on December 6, leading them to be sent to full council for a final decision yesterday.

This first phase will cost up to £75 million, nearly half of which will go towards a replacement for the 50-year-old leisure centre in Beetons Way.

The officers’ report outlines that this stage might also include office space, the West Suffolk branch of the Suffolk Archive and/or a pre-school.

The NHS had plans to provide a large community health facility on the site but decided more time was needed to finish its business case in September of this year. So, the facility will not be provided in phase one.

Labour Cllr Cliff Waterman said after cabinet gave its support: “Predictably, the NHS has decided to pull out of it.

“I suspect it is not going to come back to realise its part of the project – the NHS has other things on its mind at the moment.

“We do desperately need health services in Bury St Edmunds, and particularly dentists. We need community dentists; we do not need a hub.”

Cllr Waterman described the hub as a “waste of precious resources”.

The leisure centre’s estimated cost is £9 million more than it was in 2021, which officers put down to inflation and more ambitious plans to deal with future population growth.

A business case for phase two is expected to be considered by councillors before the end of phase one’s construction and when the outcome of the NHS’ business case process is known.