LEISURE chiefs have sought to reassure users of Altrincham Leisure Centre that the size of its pool will not be halved under Altair proposals.


A leaflet claiming that Altair – a £150m regeneration scheme which aims to revitalise Altrincham town centre – is to build a new leisure centre which will ‘only provide half the facilities’ of the current centre, has been refuted by Trafford Community Leisure Trust.


The leaflet, which has been circulating in the area, states the pool size would shrink from 20m x 8m to 10m x 6m, the size of the sports hall would be halved and there will be no squash courts, spinning studio, sauna or function room.


But Trafford Community Leisure Trust, which runs all the community leisure centres in the borough, has stated that no decisions have been made.


A spokesman for the trust said: “We simply cannot answer what will be in the new leisure centre, however, the leaflet that was circulated at the weekend by a local resident picks up drawings that were purely outline planning, when full planning is submitted the leisure centre will include everything the community needs, it certainly won't be half the size.


“The initial planning was made some time ago now and discussions have progressed a lot further with the leisure trust advising on the facility needed.


A spokesman for Altair added: “The Altair Development signifies major investment in Altrincham and provides an ideal opportunity for the sports and leisure facilities to be updated, making them fir-for-purpose for modern times.


“Trafford Community Leisure Trust operates the existing leisure facilities.


“The proposed facilities in the Altair scheme reflect what they believe, based on experience of the market and detailed research into current needs and trends in leisure development, will fully meet the needs of Altrincham.”