A NEW swimming pool could be built in the north of the city as the council grapples with a shake-up of the service.

Worcester City Council chiefs will be asked to favour building a new 25-metre pool and gym at Perdiswell, after consultants drew up options to keep public swimming baths in the city for the future.

We previously reported the site was among eight locations being considered in April.

At a council scrutiny meeting, councillors were told the “preferred option” was being presented to cabinet, alongside several other choices, for a decision on Wednesday.

If an option is agreed, a public consultation will follow by autumn.

But the specification, the cost – estimated to be at least £10 million – and how that money will be found will only really be known “once the detailed business case” is produced following the public consultation, said the council’s corporate services director Ruth Mullen.

“That next stage will deal with the detailed modelling, specification and the funding options, which will be a huge tranche, to look at how we will fund this.”

It is not yet known if the centre would be leased to an operator or managed on behalf of the city council.

In detail, the report recommends building a new eight-lane pool, fitness and leisure complex at the current Perdiswell Leisure Centre site, with spectator seating, learner pool, health and fitness suite, creche, five-a-side football pitches and 350 parking spaces.

Under that proposal, the current pool in Sansome Walk – which would be replaced – would keep running until the Perdiswell site was built “at the end of 2015, start of 2016,” said Mrs Mullen.

Councillor Adrian Gregson asked what the report said “about a preferred location”, to which Mrs Mullen replied saying “Perdiswell” was the favoured site.

“This would allow the current site [Sansome Walk] to be kept open,” she said.

Coun David Tibbutt asked if “any money is needed on the upkeep of Sansome Walk”, but Mrs Mullen said it was “difficult” to predict any future repair costs but was currently “a mend-and-go approach”.

Coun Jabba Riaz, cabinet member for leisure, said: “Our current pool is dated and tired. We have a chance to provide a modern swimming and fitness centre, complementing the other new developments.”