Red tape is delaying the £330,000 expansion of Burnham-On-Sea’s Swim and Sports Academy, it was claimed this week.
Burnham-On-Sea.com first reported earlier this year how Mark and Sara Cox-Conklin wanted to build a modern, two-storey extension at the front of the Berrow Road property.
Plans for a new therapy pool, a high-tech cardio studio, a therapy spa, two physio rooms and new changing rooms have been drawn up and submitted for consideration by the district council earlier this year.
However, the couple said this week their hopes of starting construction work this summer have been dashed by council ‘red tape’.
“It is very frustrating for us – we have spent almost £9,000 on the planning application alone, but don’t seem to be any closer to having it approved,” Mark told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“We have exchanged several letters with the district council since the original application was submitted in the spring, and have recently been told that a full flood risk assessment is now needed, which will delay the whole project by a further four weeks.”
“We’re happy to accept the planning process, but the delay is disappointing for us and our customers. Building work could begin as soon as approval is given.”
If approved by planners, the centrepiece of the extension will be a 15 x 30ft therapy pool which will have water heated to 90 degrees.
The first floor of the new building will also feature a high-end spa with hot rock therapy treatments and there will also be dedicated relaxation and meditation facilities.
The total cost of the proposed extension will be around £250,000, with a further £80,000 being spent on re-tiling the main swimming pool and modernising the changing rooms.
Sedgemoor District Council’s Development Group Manager, Steve Atkinson, told Burnham-On-Sea.com this week that several design documents had been missing from the original planning application and that this has caused the delay.
Mark and Sara took over the property’s lease last year following several months of uncertainty about the building’s future. The academy officially opened its doors in July 2008 and has since attracted many thousands of visitors.
