Councillors approve plans to convert Chris Moody Centre into leisure centre for Moulton

Daventry District Council is using £8.5 million to purchase the Chris Moody Centre which belongs to Moulton College.

Full council approved a business plan for the proposals when it met in December, and also appointed Everyone Active as the operator. And last night (January 15) members of the council’s planning committee quickly approved the scheme, removing the final hurdle.

Building work to extend the Pitsford Road site - which was opened back in 2012 - is now likely to start in spring, with the new fitness suite ready by the end of summer. The remainder of the works could then be completed by the end of 2020.

A brand-new fitness suite and exercise studios will be built alongside the existing swimming pool and rehabilitation hydro pools. The car park will be extended to hold 190 vehicles, and a health spa will also be added.

The centre neighbours the sports pitches and all-weather hockey pitch which are part of the college’s existing facilities. The building is currently being used as a sports injury and rehabilitation centre.

Moulton Parish Council had offered its support for the plans, but added: “We feel that a Sports Hall should be included in the plan, in common with other leisure centres in the county, which would enable a comprehensive range of activities to be offered to the public such as gymnastics sessions, trampolining, basketball, netball, badminton, and five-a-side football. This would make it a leisure centre rather than a pool complex. There is space for this to happen on the land allocated.”

It also won the backing of the Moulton ward’s district councillor Daniel Cribbin, who also sits on the planning committee. He said: “I fully support this and I hope the committee will do the same.”

His words were heeded, as members duly voted the scheme through.