Plans to replace the Oasis leisure centre in Hunstanton with a new facility have raised fears over the impact on parking.

West Norfolk Borough Council is submitting a bid for £19.8m from the government’s Levelling Up Fund, which it hopes will help pay for the £28.8m project.

Eastern Daily Press: The council plans to replace the existing Oasis leisure centre with a new facilityThe council plans to replace the existing Oasis leisure centre with a new facility (Image: Archant (C) 2013)

The authority has not yet decided where to build the new leisure centre, but has said the town’s Southend car park is the preferred option.

Eastern Daily Press: An indicative image of how the pool at Hunstanton's new leisure centre could look. The final design is yet to be determined.An indicative image of how the pool at Hunstanton's new leisure centre could look. The final design is yet to be determined.

At a Monday cabinet meeting, independent councillor Chris Morley said he feared that using that location would have a “serious impact” on parking in the town.

Eastern Daily Press: Independent councillor Chris MorleyIndependent councillor Chris Morley (Image: Borough Council of King\'s Lynn and West Norfolk)

Richard Blunt, the authority’s Conservative cabinet member for finance, agreed that the scheme is “a very big project that needs to be considered very carefully, across the whole of west Norfolk”.

Eastern Daily Press: Conservative councillor Richard BluntConservative councillor Richard Blunt (Image: Archant)

The council’s Conservative deputy leader Graham Middleton agreed that if the car park is used, “we need to jump quite quickly on to understanding a wider car parking strategy for the town”.

Eastern Daily Press: Conservative councillor Graham MiddletonConservative councillor Graham Middleton (Image: Norfolk Conservatives)

The cabinet agreed to work with Hunstanton Town Council to look more closely at what would be the best site for the new centre.