PLANS for a massive eight-lane swimming pool in Worcester have been dramatically revived - months after it was dumped after being deemed too expensive.

Your Worcester News can reveal how the city council's Conservative leadership is ready to back a competition standard, top quality pool by extending Perdiswell Leisure Centre in a £10.4 million project.

The shock move, which appeared unlikely only several weeks ago, has come about after the council sold its £3.1 million Orchard House HQ to the University of Worcester.

Some of that windfall is now likely to be used to part-fund it, as well as a bid to Sport England for grant funding which could reach up to £2 million.

The previous Labour administration, which was ousted from office in June, had already voted in favour of a scaled-down, six-lane £7.7 million facility, saying the more expensive options were too risky.

But in recent weeks the Tories instructed officers to re-investigate the pool saga and a new report for the cabinet now says Worcester should go for a more ambitious facility, even if it costs more money.

A 40-year loan would also be taken out to help fund it, but the size of that will only be known once the other avenues have been exhausted, including a sale of the crumbling Sansome Walk pool, which would close in 2016 as soon as the new one is open.

Sansome Walk pool is forecast to bring in around £500,000.

An eight-lane pool would come with 250 spectator seats instead of 150, 630 metres of water space instead of 450, a cafe, and is forecast to be used 304,000 times a year, a rise of 16,000 on the old plans.

The overall revenue from it is also predicted to be £3.1m million a year, an increase of £300,000, although the overall taxpayer subsidy would hit around £493,000 per annum, an extra £118,000 on the six-lane option.

A final decision will be taken during a full council vote on Tuesday, September 30.

In the meantime the Tory cabinet is meeting next Tuesday, on September 16 where it is expected to endorse the eight-lane option.

Back in 2012 the council was looking at an eight-lane pool costing more than £13 million, but that was for a completely new build rather than an extension of the Perdiswell centre.

But in May 2013, when the Tories were booted from office for a new-look Labour led administration, due to fears over the high costs it ended up backing a six-lane option, which appeared to be the final twist in the city's pool saga until control of the authority switched back to the blue corner at the start of summer.

Councillor David Wilkinson, cabinet member for safer and stronger communities, said: "What Worcester deserves is an ambitious, competition standard pool - it does cost more but it delivers more tangible benefits.

"I've got to convince the cabinet and the full council that this is the best option and that's what I intend to do."

Labour group leader Adrian Gregson said: "I will keep an open mind, but is it worth the risk of spending more money in terms of what we'll get back for it?"

The pool, once built will be handed to an outside operator to run, and if the council backs the eight-lane option it can expect a return of £88,000 a year.

However, a cheaper six-lane option would generate a return of £138,000 per annum, and the report for the cabinet admits this would prove the most beneficial financially.

But a better pool is forecast to be more popular, will bring a greater profile to the city as a destination for swimming competitions, and will help enhance the health of the population more positively.