A MAJOR new sports and leisure facility could be on the way.

Wokingham Borough Council has unveiled plans for 'Carnival Phase 2' that will see the construction of new leisure facilities, library and restaurant if granted planning permission.

The council is proposing to demolish the existing Carnival Pool & Fitness Centre to make way for the new development which it hopes will be open by 2021.

Bernie Pich, head of regeneration at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “With work nearing completion on the new car park and bowling alley unit, we started to look in more detail at the second phase of the proposals which, subject to planning consent, we expect to start on site in mid to late 2019.

"We’ve been pulling together information from a range of sources including our previous regeneration consultations, the planning process and discussions with leisure operators and other authorities to get an idea of what a great facility could offer.”

Proposals for Carnival Phase 2 will include two swimming pools, two gyms, sports hall, cafe, restaurant and around 55 new one and two bed apartments.

There will also be a soft play area for children which could be run by a private enterprise, while the council insisted that no shops would be included in the scheme.

Sarah Morgan, planning manager at Wokingham Borough Council, said: "We have changed a few things from our initial 2015 proposals.

“When we last shared ideas for Carnival Phase 2, our preference was to extend the centre and refurbish the pool.

"We will now be able to provide a much more efficient leisure centre as the building was in a worse state than we initially thought."

However, the plans will mean there will be no swimming facility in Wokingham town centre for 18 months, while the new library will be smaller in size. A new pedestrian crossing will also need to be installed on Wellington Road.

Darrell Gale, Wokingham Borough Council’s public health consultant, added: “When we consulted on the leisure strategy, we had lots of great feedback from residents on the range of facilities they want to see in local leisure centres across the whole Wokingham Borough.

"Cost wise it makes sense to rebuild rather than refurbish and we can create a much more attractive and sustainable building with lower ongoing operating and management costs.”

Residents have until Sunday May 21 to view the proposals and submit their comments, while a detailed planning application for Carnival Phase 2 is expected to be submitted later this summer.