PLANS to demolish the fire-damaged Abbey Leisure Centre in Selby have been submitted to the council.

Next month marks one year since the £1million leisure centre was gutted by a fire and Selby District Council decided recently that the best course of action would be to completely demolish the current centre and build a new one in its place.

A planning application has now been submitted to the council outlining the work, ahead of a contractor being found to carry out the operation.

The report from architects Bradshaw Gass and Hope, who were consulted to submit the proposals, said the two-storey building will be pulled down by a contractor, and concrete ground flooring would be removed and possibly crushed to fill the pool area.

In November, the council agreed to move ahead with the demolition of the current centre, which has been derelict since the fire, and build an all-new centre in Scott Road.

The scheme could cost up to £9 million, and will include a 25-metre six-lane swimming pool, along with state-of-the-art fitness facilities.

So far, one response has been logged with the council about the proposal, from the office of Environmental Health and Housing, which said it did not detail the demolition process or what measures would be undertaken to “prevent loss of amenity to residents in the area from noise, vibration and dust.”