Full £10m refurbishment for leisure centre near Peterborough takes big step forward

The future of the Deepings Leisure Centre looks to have been secured after senior politicians approved plans for a £10m refurbishment that wil include remodelling the pool and expanding gym facilities.
An aerial view of the  leisure centre and Deepings school.An aerial view of the  leisure centre and Deepings school.
An aerial view of the leisure centre and Deepings school.

The Cabinet at South Kesteven District Council met today (December 7) to discuss options for the future of the Deepings Leisure Centre, following last week’s vote by the Council’s Joint Scrutiny Committee in favour of a full refurbishment.

Cabinet Members voted in favour of this option, which would see a full remodelling and refurbishment for the leisure centre, with an approximate quote of £10.7million for the full spectrum of changes proposed. This work would involve reconfiguring and enhancing the swimming pool, sports hall, and squash courts, as well as expanding gym capacity and delivering new studios and changing facilities.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

SKDC staff have been working with architects and leisure consultants to find the best way forward for the community facility, presenting the Council with options to either undertake a basic refurbishment, a refurbishment with enhanced gym provision, or a full and comprehensive remodel.

Today’s recommendation to embark on a full refurbishment signals the Council’s commitment to return the centre to its former glory and put significant investment into providing local residents with a modern complex that meets the needs of the community.

The proposal for a full refurbishment will now be put before full Council, who meet on Tuesday 14th December, for their final vote to consider the Cabinet recommendation.

Council Leader, Cllr Kelham Cooke, said: “After extensive work across the Council formulating and assessing future plans for the Deepings Leisure Centre, it is great to put forward a long-term solution for this much-loved facility.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“This recommendation is a crucial step towards bringing the facility back to life and I am confident we will find bipartisan support for this proposal, which will allow us to press ahead and deliver the centre back to the community much improved.

“The project put forward confirms our ambitions to provide the local community with a modern and effective space for sports and activities, which are more important than ever.”

The leisure centre has been forced to close from July this year because of a leaky roof and concerns had been raised that it might never reopen.

The cost of fixing 47-year-old centre was estimated at up to £1.2m according to a report that was put before an emergency meeting of South Kesteven District Council, which manages the facility, in August.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In 2019, before the pandemic, plans for a site for a new £15m Deepings centre were put forward on the corner of Linchfield Road and Spalding Road. Those plans have now been dropped and the district council looks set to engage on a major redevelopment on the current site.

The refurbishment option includes:

- Main Pool reconfiguration to provide a level deck structure, re-tiling the pool tank, and the addition of a partial moveable floor would provide the required water area previously identified and be flexible enough for a mix of swimming lessons, lane swimming and competitive swimming events.

- Squash Court reconfiguration to accommodate a health and fitness gym of the required size to accommodate 80 stations with the addition of a mezzanine floor.

- Two studios, each measuring 200 square metres, could be accommodated in two levels within the existing pool hall area which currently houses the learner pool.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

- A conversion of the existing separate male and female wet changing rooms to a unisex changing village to bring the areas up to modern standards and provide a flexible and family friendly environment.

- The entrance can be modified to be more inviting and give the leisure centre a greater presence from the car park.

- Sports Hall to be refurbished to include a new floor, cladding, and structural alterations to the roof.

Related topics: