A splash park could finally be coming to St Neots after a new planning application has been submitted by Brown&Co and St Neots Aquatic Leisure CIO (SNAL).
The splash park is set for the site of the town’s former outdoor swimming pool on land in Huntingdon Road, with plans to transform the area with water sprays and jets.
Chairman of the SNAL trust, Mick Marks, said: “I’ve been excited about this project since I was asked to be the chair of the trust.
"I’ve got such a good team involved, and the man hours that we’ve put into this privately is just phenomenal because we believe it’s the right thing for St Neots."
The site has been vacant since 2003, and the trustees for SNAL, formed in 2016, have spent six years trying to get the project off the ground.
Mr Marks is confident that after receiving a "highly favourable" response from Huntingdonshire District Council to a pre-planning application earlier this year, the necessary changes have been made for a viable splash park to be built.
Mr Marks added: “It’s going to make the old swimming pool site an attractive place for people of St Neots and surrounding areas to come and enjoy seven or eight months of the year.
"Then, if we can add the extra things that we want, it could be an all-year-round attraction site.
“Priory Park is a massively underutilised area, and this will give it a new lease of life to that part of St Neots which is underused.”
SNAL worked with Brown&Co’s architecture and planning team to design a splash park for the town and submit the application to Huntingdonshire District Council.
The underused site is adjacent to the bowling alley ‘Eat n Bowl’, and it is intended to host a new café and seating close to Priory Park as well as space to accommodate temporary leisure activities, including inflatables, a climbing wall and outdoor games.
Simon Tindle, planner, divisional partner, Brown&Co, St Neots, said: “Our clients’ ambition is to create a quality outdoor, water-based leisure facility.
"The pool was a cherished asset of the town, and the community is keen to see a water-based leisure use return to this site. This facility will be something for families to enjoy, particularly in the summer months.”
It is hoped that a positive decision will be made before Christmas and work can start next year.
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