CASTLE Point Council has announced plans for a major shake-up in the provision of sports facilities.

The improvement committee outlined six potential strategies for building sports facilities in an effort to curb rising obesity rates and reverse years of under-investment in leisure facilties.

The council hopes to work with South East Essex Primary Care Trust and is considering combining new medical centres with better leisure complexes to improve health in the borough generally.

Among the options are the creation of a gym and pool at the ageing Water-side Farm, Canvey, or spreading a range of facilities between Waterside Farm, new medical clinics and secondary schools.

There are currently two leisure centres with swimming pools in Castle Point.

Waterside Farm has a pool, gym and running track, but the pool has been closed since January, when high winds damaged the roof.

Runnymede Swimming Pool, Thundersley, also has a pool and clubhouse which are used for aerobic classes.

Council leader Pam Challis stressed that no decisions had been made and the council was only at the discussion stage of the proposals.

She said the suggested options would go out to public consultation for the next 12 weeks.

The council would then meet again in October to discuss the results from the survey.

In April, the council revealed it had held talks with Castle Point and Rochford PCT about using land at Waterside Farm for a second medical centre on Canvey, raising questions over whether the complex's demolition was a done deal.

Peter May, (Canvey Ind, Canvey Central) said: "The council should be looking at putting money into Waterside Farm to bring it back up to how it used to be, and not knocking it down."

But council chief executive David Marchant said: "No deals have been done yet.

"What we're trying to do at this stage is find out what leisure facilities the community needs and would like.

"We're keen to make the necessary improvements to our infrastructure to bring the borough's facilties up-to-date."

Building work has already started on a new health centre on the Paddocks site, Canvey, which is expected to be open by autumn 2008 and will house GPs, as well as community and diagnostic services.

The proposals

  • Create a new sports facility at Waterside Farm, Canvey, closing the swimming pool there and building a new swimming pool at the Paddocks, Canvey, where a new medical centre is being built.
  • Invest in a new swimming pool and leisure complex at Waterside Farm.
  • Invest in a new sports facility with medical centre and pool at Furtherwick Park or Cornelius Vermuyden schools, Canvey.
  • Knock down facilities at Waterside Farm and build a medical centre on its site, with a leisure complex at a secondary school, but without a pool.
  • Build a new medical centre at Waterside Farm and a new leisure complex at the Paddocks, to be linked with the medical centre being built there.
  • Build a new medical centre at Waterside Farm and knock down the swimming pool there.