A PILOT scheme offering children free swimming in school holidays is set to save plans to improve Newport Centre's changing-rooms.

As reported in the Argus, the Assembly last week pledged to pay for free swimming for boys under 16 and girls under 24 during school holidays, beginning at Easter.

On the strength of that, Newport city council is to apply to Sportlot, the lottery funding arm of the Sports Council for Wales, for money to refurbish the changing-rooms at Newport Centre.

The refurbishment of the changing facilities was excluded from the Capital Programme, the list of council schemes to be included in the budget over the next three years.

But the makeover of the changing facilities remains a priority for the Culture and Recreation Overview and Scrutiny Forum.

Work would include enlarging the female changing-rooms, create family changing and install new lockers, as well as retiling, new cubicles and refurbish toilets and showers, costing in the region of £600,000.

When councillors on the forum recommended to cabinet that it reconsider the decision to leave it off the list of included schemes, they were asked what funds they would re-allocate to make it a possibility.

The scheme was the subject of an unsuccessful bid for Sportlot funding in the past, but councillors feel the free swimming scheme adds strength to their case, and encourages a change of heart.

The forum has now recommended that it be added back to the preparation pool, the list of schemes to be considered for inclusion in the next capital programme, subject to external funding.

The sports council and Newport council have indicated that refurbishment schemes specifically aimed at young girls, women and the disabled will be viewed in a positive light.

A spokeswoman for the council said: "We're putting an application to Sportlot because we're part of the the free swimming pilot scheme. Sportlot have recognised that standards in children's and women's changing need to be improved."

Councillor Jim Kirkwood, who chairs the forum, said: "We have recommended that the cabinet be asked to reconsider adding this scheme to the preparation pool in light of the potential new external funding we have just heard about."