Not replacing Cranleigh Leisure Centre will inevitably force its closure, the leader of Waverley Borough Council has claimed.

The stark warning came during the Tuesday, January 13, meeting of its executive committee as it agreed to push ahead with its £36 million redevelopment.

The project has come under intense scrutiny following delays that caused its cost to spiral but the council remains adamant its plan for a new super-eco “pasivhaus’ facility will be fully self funding – and drastically reduce the borough’s carbon footprint.

Passivhaus standard buildings are designed to meet the highest levels in energy efficiency.

The environmental certification is a critical, the council said, and would reduce energy costs by around 60 per cent compared to a standard leisure centre.

It says the building would last well into the 2080s,  be designed to withstand climate change,  and suffer less from wear and tear –  extending its lifespan and avoiding expensive refurbishments.

Keeping the existing site operational would cost £7.3 million over the next five years with no improvements to the facility, no increase in income, and no return on investment.

Cllr Liz Townsend, the newly appointed  deputy leader of the council, said: “Let’s be clear about the alternatives. 

“Halting the project at this stage would be a reckless waste of the significant public funds invested and could leave Cranleigh without a leisure centre altogether.”

“Removing the Passivhaus element would require costs and still require additional borrowing.

“It would marginally reduce the initial costs but  it would remove £125,000 in energy savings and extend the payback period to 50 years undermining the business case.”

2026 is the last full year Waverley Borough Council will exist before it is merged with its neighbours, some of which are the most debt ridden authorities in the country, to because West Surrey.

The financial position of this new council has many worried over how future projects could be funded   – leading to fears the leisure centre improvements could be jettisoned by the new financially distressed body.

Borough leader Cllr Paul Follows said: “It either needs to be replaced or shut down. 

“I think even an outsider’s non-accountant’s view of the balance sheet of the West Surrey unitary, is that it is unlikely to be able to bear… any kind of project like this in Cranleigh.

“I just dont think its going to be remotely viable under the unitary, and so if we don’t do it, we are effectively looking at Cranleigh having nothing.”

He added: “As long as this remains self financing, a vote against this is effectively a vote to close the leisure centre in Cranleigh and all the consequences that go with that.

“Simply, as long as this is self financing that is an unacceptable option.”

Cllr Jane Austin, Conservative opposition leader at Waverley, accused the Liberal Democrat-led executive of failing to respond constructively to scrutiny concerns.

“In December, Waverley’s scrutiny committee recommended a rethink. Instead of engaging constructively with those concerns, the response from the leader has been to threaten the closure of the leisure centre altogether,” she said.

“Trying to justify multi-million-pound cost overruns by holding a vital community facility to ransom is no way to lead a council.”

She said the Liberal Democrats’ insistence on pushing ahead with what she described as “experimental” Passivhaus technology was “clearly driving costs up enormously - with further increases still to come”.

“A stated 51-year payback period does not represent value for money for residents,” she added. “Good leadership means taking responsibility for decisions and listening when serious warnings are raised - not using them as leverage to excuse poor financial management.”