Swimming club welcomes decision to delay vote on future of Deepings Leisure Centre
The centre is facing permanent closure after heavy rain and flooding caused serious damage to the centre - with the council saying it would cost £1.2 million to repair
South Kesteven District Council’s cabinet met yesterday to discuss the future of the centre - but deferred any decision until a full council meeting on September 2.
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Hide AdThe swimming club submitted a statement to the council, which was read out by SKDC leader Kelham Cooke, who used to train at the leisure centre pool.
The statement acknowledged the extent of the disrepair but added: “The fact the building’s condition has been allowed to deteriorate to this extent is not our swimmers’ fault and has done nothing over the many years of decline to inhibit their dreams or reduce their aspirations. Indeed, it would be fair to say these have been heightened still further by events at the Tokyo Olympics.”
The statement concluded: “As a club we do not exist without a pool to train in, and we would not be Deepings Swimming Club without a home in the Deepings. We welcome plans for a new facility but, in the short term, a 2024 refresh of the local plan, allocating a potential build site for a new facility is simply too far away to ensure our club’s survival.”
Sam Peeroo, Deepings Swimming Club development officer, thanked councillor Cooke for reading out the statement.
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Hide Ad“We were also delighted that our request for the decision to be deferred was listened to, and the proposed ‘decision’ motion amended accordingly,” she said.
“But, with the likely date for the decision being taken at a full council meeting on September 2, it really doesn’t give anyone, councils or community, much time to address the issues that led us to ask for a delay in the first place. This includes seeking information on the full financial, health and social implications in respect of the Council’s decision.”
Three independent councillors from the Deepings, Virginia Moran, Phil Dilks and Ashley Baxter, were joined by Ian Stygall, a representative from the local campaign group Save the Deepings Leisure Centre which has more than 2,000 members to argue the case against closing the leisure centre.
Each made impassioned pleas to the council to reject a report recommending the immediate closure of the leisure centre, urging them instead to invest the money in repairing the roof.
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Hide AdMr Stygall said: “A new leisure centre is at least five years away. The existing leisure centre just needs the money that is owned to our community spending on it to rectify the immediate issues, getting our perfectly adequate facility opened up again.”
A report authored by SKDC head of leisure Karen Whitfield, reviewed by chief executive Karen Bradford and signed off by deputy leader councillor Barry Dobson suggested that the cost of repairing the leisure centre would be just under £1.2 million. However, this cost included car park resurfacing, a new passenger lift and external decoration, none of which are health and safety issues, the reason given by the council for the immediate closure of the facility.
Ms Peeroo said: “The report suggests the Council is facing a repair bill of £1.2m. But not all of the items listed relate to the minimum health and safety concerns that need addressing to reopen the building. Moreover, the costings have not been subject to competitive tender and they have not been counterbalanced against the potentially huge cost of mothballing or demolition of the facility.”