Boston leisure centre “will not go” unless plans in place, leaders vow

Boston council leaders have vowed that the town’s Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre “will not be coming down” unless alternative facilities are in place.

They have also been coming up with alternatives, including combined health or education facilities, after the plans were criticised at a recent scrutiny meeting.

Opposition members demanded that a suggestion Boston College could be given the centre in order to demolish it and replace with an educational facility called the Mayflower Centre be brought back to a full debate at full council recently.

Criticisms included a lack of evidence and consultation and no clear replacement facilities.

The plans, which include work as part of the PE21 development, were originally approved by Boston Borough Cabinet at the beginning of September.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, chief executive for strategy Tim Leader said: “The Geoff Moulder is not coming down unless we have alternative facilities in place. The suggestion that we have taken a decision was wrong … and needs to be corrected.

“There’s no way members of Boston Council are going to just give the GMLC unless there are absolutely concrete substitute facilities provided elsewhere.”

The Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre in Boston | Photo: Google Street View

The leaders said that since the scrutiny meeting, they had been working to come up with compromise proposals with Boston College which they hoped would see support.

They could include combining the college’s plans for the Mayflower Facility to provide adult schools and training with the leisure centre.

A second option included combining new facilities as part of a health and wellbeing centre which is hoped to merge a number of local GP surgeries into one.

The latter would not include a swimming pool but could include gym facilities.

The leaders praised the ideas of the Mayflower Centre, with Mr Leader adding: “[This] is something that provides Boston with a boost to adult schools and training.

“This is something Boston needs desperately.”

The leaders were adamant, however, that any plans to demolish the GLMC hinged on a bid for £25million funding from the government.

Deputy leader Councillor Nigel Welton added: “We will not be knocking down any of our leisure facilities unless we have something that is better than what we already have.

“That has been very, very clear and it all depends on the money.”

The plans will be discussed further at Boston Borough Council’s Full Council meeting on October 26.