MOTORISTS who use Christchurch car parks in Crewe will have to make alternative arrangements as plans for a £15m lifestyle centre on the site move forward.

To prepare the way for construction, Cheshire East has issued a series of statutory notices in and around the Christchurch car park area.

From early August, motorists who normally park their cars at Christchurch car parks will need to find alternative parking arrangements. Alternative car parks include Oak Street and Chester Street.

There will be no access along Crewe Street and Forge Street from this time, although access to Chancery Court and Lyon Street will remain.

The council hope that the lifestyle centre, which will include health facilities as well as adult and social care services, will act as a catalyst for the Crewe civic and cultural quarter vision and make the town centre a more attractive proposition for commercial investors.

Council Leader, clr Michael Jones said: “This is all part of the exciting build-up to actually putting a spade in the ground and making Crewe’s lifestyle centre a reality.

“Some people will see the initial preparations as an inconvenience but we will do everything we can to ensure that residents come first and know exactly what is happening and when.

“The project realises a bold vision to combat alarming health inequalities in areas of Crewe, meaning many people actually die a whole decade earlier compared to other areas in the borough.

“That is a situation that we cannot allow to continue and it is a huge motivating factor in getting the centre built as soon as is possible.”

The lifestyle centre will house an eight-lane, 25-metre pool, plus a large teaching pool, sports courts, state-of-the-art fitness suites, new library facilities, and children and adult social care services.

It is anticipated that construction will begin on the lifestyle centre in August and will be up and running for the public to use towards the end of 2015.