Plans for a new £8 million Northfield swimming pool and fitness centre are set to be approved when city planners meet later this week.
The state-of-the-art leisure centre is due to be built on the site of the existing facility and is the latest of six being built or rebuilt across the city, as part of a £36 million investment.
The pool was closed in June, two months earlier than planned, after a customer did a poo in the water leaving it infected and council bosses decided it was not worth spending £100,000 to decontaminate the water.
Now city planning officers have recommended plans for its replacement building be approved when the council’s planning committee meets on Thursday, August 4.
Leisure watchdog Sport England is also backing the scheme. Commenting on the plans it said: “The proposal to erect a new leisure centre on the site of an ageing swimming pool will enhance built sports provision in the City and as such accords with our objectives.
“Sport England, therefore, considers this proposal addresses an identified need for this facility type and has the potential to be of benefit to the development of swimming and sports activity in Northfield.”
Sport England also provided a grant towards Birmingham’s £36 million investment in pools.
But 169 users have signed a petition objecting to the loss of the sauna and steam room and asking for one to be provided in the new centre.
While others have written in objecting to the bland design of the new pool on a main gateway route into Northfield. Some want the existing building’s front retained.
The council’s older leisure centres were proving costly to run with inefficient ageing heating systems, often struggled with access for disabled people and lacked some modern facilities.
The pool is one of four, alongside Erdington, Stechford Cascades and Icknield Port Loop, I being built by Serco which last year won the contract to run city leisure centres over the next 15 years .
Building work on Erdington pool started in July.
Two more Birmingham pools, as Sparkhill and Shard End are being rebuilt under a different contracts.
Watch below: University of Birmingham's new Olympic sized pool takes shape
