PLANS for a major upgrade of Dawlish Leisure Centre have been given the green light.

The scheme, expected to cost up to £5million, is aimed at modernising the facilities and encouraging more people to take part.

Plans include expanding the gym to provide more space and stations and introducing two exercise studio spaces.

Changing areas will be refurbished and ventilation and air quality will be improved as well as renovating the 10-year-old solar system.

An extension to the already busy car park will accommodate increased attendance at the centre.

However, introducing a pool for learners has been ruled out as being too expensive at this stage.

Teignbridge Council’s full council meeting backed the scheme.

Dawlish Cllr Rosie Dawson said: ‘The people of Dawlish have been promised this for years and it hasn’t been delivered.

‘The changing rooms aren’t fit for purpose, shower curtains don’t protect dignity, surfaces are so old there are difficult to clean.

‘I could go on but it is run by an incredible team and the reason we are seeing an increase in membership is because the teams is amazing.’

Fellow Dawlish councillor Martin Wrigley said the upgrade was ‘very much wanted’.

He said the CIL funding had come from new Dawlish housing and should be spent Dawlish.

Cllr Lin Goodman-Bradbury added: ‘This centre has been rotting away for some time but it is well used so I am really pleased we can see it through.’

The refurbishment had been planned in 2018 but was delayed by the Covid pandemic.

A report to Teignbridge councillors said: ‘The Dawlish leisure centre refurbishment proposal is to transform the existing leisure centre to enhance user experience and increase participation by offering modern, market-aligned facilities that support both dry-side and swimming activities.

‘The facility remains in need of modernising, in terms of the operational use of its spaces and aesthetics, such as outdated décor and changing areas.

‘There is a forecasted £1million spend on repairs and maintenance.’

Up to £3million from the Community Infrastructure Levy is allocated for the project but a further £1.2 million will be met through ‘internal borrowing’.

There is approximately £1 million identified in the planned maintenance programme over the next five years for the leisure centre.

Council officers said it ‘would be reasonable to consider that a significant saving can be elicited through the proposed investment and facility enhancements’.

The swimming pool opened in 1974 and was later expanded to include a sports hall in 1994, and a fitness gym was added to replace the former café around 2012.

But there are no exercise studios, the only showers are poolside, or within two accessible wet rooms.

With a gym area that is not purpose built, and no exercise studios, the opportunity for residents to use the facility is largely limited to pool-based activity, and evening and weekend access to the sports hall which is used by Dawlish College during weekdays.

The report to members said: ‘The refurbishment presents an opportunity to remove barriers to participation from an aged facility design.

‘Through developing the facility mix, increasing number of residents will benefit from facilities and opportunities to become and remain active that will serve to reduce health inequalities for generations to come.’