THE chairman of Worcester Swimming Club has spoken of his delight over a new eight-lane pool being approved - calling it "huge for the city".

Simon Richards told your Worcester News the club is "absolutely delighted" by the outcome of last week's crunch city council vote, which saw a £10.4 million top-of-the-range pool backed.

Speaking for the first time since the vote, which was narrowly passed 18-16, he said: "We are totally beside ourselves to be honest, it's brilliant news and fantastic for Worcester as a whole.

"Six months ago this looked unlikely to happen, we're just so grateful and absolutely delighted by what's happened.

"Sansome Walk pool has done a great job but it's falling apart and we do need a new one.

"But it's not for us, it's for the whole city and the county.

"We were tweeting at last week's council meeting and the response was great, when we said it was passed the first one was from Cardiff Swimming Club who said 'we can't wait to come' and visit Worcester.

"I do totally understand how big the decision was, I know budgets are tight and it was a difficult one.

"But we are delighted, the benefits for Worcester will be huge."

Last week the majority Conservative group teamed up with Mayor of Worcester Councillor Alan Amos to vote it through, despite concerns from Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat parties on the costs.

The alternative option was a pool of six lanes, costing around £1 million less in capital costs and yearly subsidy estimated at £375,000 instead of £493,000.

The council's Tory leadership believes it can bring those costs down though, and says one of the major benefits of a bigger pool will be increased usage.

Crucially, it will also bring regional competitions to Worcester for the first time instead of competitive swimmers having to travel to Wolverhampton and Gloucester.

The new pool is set to open in mid-2016 by extending Perdiswell Leisure Centre, at which point Sansome Walk will be demolished and the land sold for houses.

Some of the other funds expected to be used in paying for it include a loan, a possible Sport England grant of up to £2 million and money from the £3.1 million sale of the council's Orchard House complex to the university.