A new swimming pool for people in the east of the borough is one step closer to becoming a reality after planning permission was granted last week.

At a meeting of Redbridge Council’s regulatory committee on Thursday, the new swimming pool and leisure centre at Mayfield School, Kinfauns Road, Goodmayes, was granted permission, subject to a number of conditions.

Concerns regarding the new pool included the loss of open space the new building would result in, potential noise and disturbance from increased traffic and inadequate parking on-site.

A petition against the development, signed by 44 people, was also presented to the council, alongside nine written objections.

However, councillors on the regulatory committee approved the development, so long as 21 conditions – ranging from noise assessments while building work is carried out to limiting the size of coaches allowed to park at the leisure centre – are met.

Council leader Cllr Jas Athwal insisted the new pool would be an asset to the community.

“We’re fulfilling our pledges we made in opposition and delivered in administration,” he said.

“We want to increase facilities for our residents, the Ilford swimming pool will be part of a wider regeneration project.

“But what we really want to do now is look at the west of the borough, it’s moving forward, we want to make sure all our residents are near facilities they can enjoy.”

However, not all residents are happy about the plans for the new pool.

Hywel Jones, 66, lives on the adjacent Kinfauns Road, where many residents are concerned they were not given enough notice of the proposals.

He said: “When Mayfield School was upgraded there was traffic going up and down Kinfauns Road day and night.

“It ran over by many months and made lots of noise and left mud all over the road.”

The council completed a new swimming pool at Loxford School of Science and Technology in June, at the cost of £4.5million.