The building that houses the Riverside Leisure Centre in Morpeth has now gone on the market.
It is owned by Northumberland County Council and no asking price has been given. Sealed bids for the site are being sought by noon on Wednesday, May 11.
It was revealed recently that the 0.88 acre site was to be put up for sale and marketed by Savills estate agents.
Read more: Designs unveiled for stunning new £21m leisure centre and library in Morpeth
Savills have released details on its site and they can also be seen on property websites like Rightmove. It is expected to sell for several million pounds.
Active Northumberland, the Trust that manages the sports centre, has previously reassured its customers that the centre will remain open and fully functioning until the new state-of-the-art sport centre opens on Gas House Lane in early 2023.
The building, situated in the Newmarket area of town, is classed as a key opportunity site, situated in a central location, overlooking the River Wansbeck and opposite Carlisle Park.
Uses favoured on these sites in the Morpeth Neighbourhood Plan are “town centre use or sports, leisure, hotel, cultural or community use.” This does not preclude the possibility of other compatible uses locating on the wider site if they are supported by planning policies.
Rick O’Farrell, Director of Regeneration at Northumberland County Council said earlier this month: “What we are doing is testing the market to see what proposals come forward which we will look closely at and review.
"It is not a case of us selling to the highest bidder. This is an important site and any development on it must impact positively on the town.
“The site is in a highly visible location on the green river corridor and in the setting of the Conservation Area and as such the scale, layout and design of any scheme will be a key consideration for us.”
A spokesperson for Savills said: “This site presents developers with a superb and unique opportunity to deliver an attractive, well-designed, high-quality scheme within the town centre.
"The site benefits from excellent river views whilst being extremely well situated in terms of its proximity to the town centre.
"Morpeth has recently enjoyed some significant private and public investment and the development of this site will be another positive contribution to the town and will further enhance the range of destinations it has to offer.
“The market is currently very strong, and we are anticipating very high levels of interest from a range of prospective purchasers.”
A new state-of-the-art £21m leisure centre and community services hub is currently being built on the site of The Terrace on Gas House Lane.
Once complete, the new county council funded leisure centre will be home to a six-lane swimming pool with spectator gallery, a learner pool, spa facilities, a four-court sports hall, a new 100 station fitness suite, a dedicated spinning studio, large fitness studios, a cafe area and soft play.
It will also incorporate a new community services hub which will see the town’s library move back to its former home on Gas House Lane, a customer service centre and a new adult learning facility with classrooms for STEM learning and catering.
