A CHATTERIS sports partnership is to be forged in a bid to get the town its long-awaited swimming pool which may now cost at least £1.8million to build. Last year Chatteris Town Council commissioned Syzygy Leisure Ltd to poll the town s residents to find

A CHATTERIS sports partnership is to be forged in a bid to get the town its long-awaited swimming pool which may now cost at least £1.8million to build.

Last year Chatteris Town Council commissioned Syzygy Leisure Ltd to poll the town's residents to find out if a public pool was still number one on their wish list.

More than 1,700 completed questionnaires were returned with the pool at the very top of the list.

The town council invested more than £800,000 from the sale of assets more than 10 years ago to help create a Chatteris Leisure Centre but two Lottery bids for extra funds to build the centre were unsuccessful.

Eventually, planning permission was given to build a pool in the grounds of Cromwell College and the district council initially agreed to meet the running costs.

But the project has faltered and been overtaken by rising costs.

Mike Behnke, of Syzygy said: "Costs of building a pool, with changing rooms and all other facilities could be at least 1.8m now, so we definitely need to be successful at getting external funding.

"There are lots of sports groups in town, but we have all got to get together and create a co-ordinated approach which will shape leisure facilities for the future of Chatteris.

"A new Chatteris Sports Partnership will enable the town to speak with one voice when seeking funding.

"Sport England has already said we may have a good chance of winning funding for a swimming pool here.

"So we must push ahead and we are now in the process of sending out letters to all the town's sports clubs and will hold a meeting within three weeks.