Old Stourport sports centre WILL be demolished as plans approved

Wyre Forest company Bewdley Caravans will turn the site in Harold Davies Drive into 51 touring caravan pitches after plans were approved by Wyre Forest District Council's planning committee.

The park will accommodate longer stay holiday visitors and will also include a single-storey reception building, toilet facilities and parking for 51 cars.

Michael Loveridge, owner of Riverside Caravan Park in Bewdley

Land owner Michael Loveridge owns similar parks in Bewdley and Far Forest.

He said: "It was a lot of hard work but the application has finally been approved.

"I knew when I purchased the site three years ago that this time would eventually come.

"The next step is the demolition. My agent is negotiating the conditions at the moment so as soon as that is sorted I will make arrangements for it to go ahead and clear the blot on the landscape that is the sports centre.

"The new site will have low touring caravans with a tree planting scheme, so it will look really nice and a lot tidier than it does now."

A video posted online in 2018 exposed the dilapidated state of the fire-damaged building

Mr Loveridge estimates the park will be up and running next year.

Stourport Sports Centre, which featured several gymnasiums and a swimming pool, was closed in July 2016 to coincide with the opening of the £11.9m Wyre Forest Leisure Centre.

Back in November 2016, the former leisure centre and its associated car parks were sold for £500,000.

A video posted online in 2018 exposed the dilapidated state of the fire-damaged building, which was seen to be cluttered with rubble and blotted with graffiti.

• Video exposes state of old Stourport Sports Centre
  
  Wyre Forest's planning committee said the new caravan park would support local tourism opportunities and boost the district's economy.

A committee report said: "I do believe that the proposed holiday park for touring caravans would bring economic benefits to the district in terms of supporting local tourism opportunities, which would contribute to the vitality and viability of the town centre within Stourport-on-Severn.

"Also, the demolition of the disused sport centre building and the additional planting that is proposed would significantly improve the visual amenity of the area and the built environment of this part of the town."

The former sports centre closed in July 2016, coinciding with the opening of Wyre Forest Leisure Centre

The committee said the building's demolition would enhance the area around the grade II listed Old Beams Inn, while also bringing a new catchment of customers to the pub.

The caravan park is expected to generate up to six two-way trips via surrounding roads in morning rush hour and up to nine two-way trips during the evening peak. The committee stated that the existing sports centre, when open, would have generated far more traffic on the roads.

One objection to the plans raised concern about "over development" of the site, but the council committee said that, although caravan pitches would be spaced tightly together in rows, new tree and shrub planting around the edge of the land would help to screen the vans from public view.