Stockport Council has submitted an application to demolish Marple baths, also known as Life Leisure Marple. 

Demolition works are proposed to begin in October 2023. 

The building was closed in 2018; leisure facilities in the Marple area are now set to be replaced by a new leisure and community hub. 

A statement on the planning notice reads: "The works will entail the complete demolition of the two storey building, inclusive of the foundations and surrounding site. 

"The area will then be covered with Type 1 MOT [a crushed stone sub-base used for roads] and fenced with steel security palisade fencing. 

"All demolition debris will be removed from site, with materials being recycled where possible."

Compensating for the loss of Marple's old leisure centre, the new community and leisure hub project will deliver a new swimming pool, library, fitness studio, community spaces and new cycling and walking routes. 

How the new Marple Community and Leisure Hub could look (Image - Stockport Council)

It is hoped that a planning application for the new centre will be submitted in Winter 2023, allowing for construction on the project to begin in Summer 2024 in line for opening in Winter 2025.

Cllr Colin MacAlister, cabinet member for economy and regeneration at Stockport Council, said of Marple's new leisure centre: "This hub is going to make a huge, positive impact on the prosperity, health and wellbeing of the residents of Marple and the borough. 

"Marple has an older population but also has its share of social housing and is geographically isolated.

"This new hub will really help to address the increasing health inequalities in Marple, adding to people's quality of life, living longer and better and provide fabulous new facilities for the community."

The project will use sustainable materials, and aims to generate footfall, jobs, and attract people into Marple. It is funded by £20 million of Capital Levelling Up monies.

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