Sports centre to be built on football club site

A new community sports centre is to be built at a town's football club.

Dorset Council has approved the replacement of the existing clubhouse at Swanage Town and Herston FC.

A public consultation on a £9m redevelopment was originally held in 2019, although the plans have since been scaled back to reduce costs, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The new four-court sports hall will incorporate football club facilities, a fitness room and a creche, councillors were told.

The proposal, which was last costed at about £3m, includes new synthetic sports pitches.

A first-floor club room with a bar and kitchen, together with a reception area and office space on the ground floor, are also planned.

Previous proposals for a soft play area, a purpose-built gym, an enterprise hub and an event space have been dropped.

The planning application, from Swanage Town Council, concluded: "[It] will provide a high quality new facility for the football club, many other sports clubs and the local community in general."

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