HOPES have been raised that a massive funding gap which has prevented progress on a new swimming pool at the University of York could finally be narrowed.

The project has stalled due to a £4 million shortfall for the facility at the Heslington campus, but now new design possibilities are being considered.

The university is compiling a new business case for the pool, which has an estimated cost of £11 million, and City of York Council leader Andrew Waller will outline the situation at a full meeting of the authority on Thursday.

He hopes a clearer path forward will emerge by the summer and a way of cutting the potential construction costs for the facility can be found.

The university has earmarked £5 million for the project, with the council adding a further £2 million.

Last summer, The Press revealed the pool could be as far as 25 years away, because the council’s planning bosses did not set a deadline for it to be delivered, but that prospect was described by the authority as a worst-case scenario.

Coun Waller said: “The university has undertaken further work on the design for the facility.

“New design options are being considered which, while still very high quality, should result in a reduced construction cost, thereby narrowing the funding gap.

“Once costings have been completed on the new design, the [council’s] University Pool Steering Group will be recalled to look at the proposal and make sure it meets the city’s needs.

“I expect it to be able to report to the council on a way forward early in the summer. There are reasons to be optimistic.

“It’s important that there is a pool on the east side of York for people to use, and although there is still detailed work to be done, I believe things are moving in the right direction.”

The pool is intended to be a 12-lane, 25-metre facility and was originally envisaged for completion in 2011, but the university has since had to borrow more than expected to meet the cost of projects.