South Kesteven District Council ditches £10.7m refurbishment plan for Deepings Leisure Centre

A council has ditched its plans to refurbish a town leisure centre.

The Deepings Leisure Centre will not reopen as South Kesteven District Council now 'cannot afford' the planned £10.7m refurbishment, blaming rising costs.

Leader of the council, Kelham Cooke (Con - Casewick) said: "There's no sugar coating it, we just cannot make it work financially.

"It is not because we don't want to do it, it is because at the present time we cannot afford to do it."

The future of the leisure centre has been uncertain since it closed in August 2021 due to a leaky roof above the swimming pool.

At the time of the closure the decision was condemned by councillors, MP Sir John Hayes, members of the Deepings Swimming Club which trained there, paralympic gold medallist Rob Welbourn, Olympic coaches and members of the community who regularly used the facilities.

South Kesteven District Council explored different avenues, including building a new multi-million pound centre in Linchfield Road.

In April, the authority approved plans to refurbish the existing building in Deeping St James, despite previously saying it didn't make financial sense.

South Kesteven district councillors voted to keep the leisure centre closed for health and safety reasons while they spend £100,000 initially on a full structural report.

It found that a full refurbishment would cost £10.663m and councillors voted in favour of this plan.

This included a reconfiguration of the main pool, a new health and fitness gym, two new studios, a changing village, modification of the entrance area and refurbishment of the sports hall.

But now the council is backtracking on these plans. So far, it has spent £46,000 of the planned £10.7m but work has not started.

The deputy leader and cabinet member for leisure, Coun Adam Stokes (Con - Springfield), said: “It continues to be an extremely challenging time for local authorities across the whole country and South Kesteven District Council is not exempt from the current financial pressures and challenges affecting the local government sector and all of our personal lives.

"We have always been clear as a council that leisure remains a priority, and over the last few years we have created headroom in our budgets to allow us to invest in our priorities such as leisure and in particular the refurbishment of the Deepings Leisure Centre.

"Leisure is so vitally important for all of us in our community, however the external challenges that we now face, have meant we can no longer continue with the planned refurbishment of the leisure centre at this time."

The leisure centre refurbishment would have been funded partly by the council, but a great deal of the money would have been borrowed.

With inflation the council's interest rates are set to be at almost double what was predicted.

"Like so many local authorities we now face pressures across the council as a result of interest rate increases, as well as the significant utility price increases, fuel costs, and pay costs which could not have been predicted earlier this year," said Coun Stokes.

"We are already reviewing all of the expenditure across the council to ensure we are on a stable financial footing for the future, which will mean difficult decisions will need to be taken on the journey ahead.”

Coun Cooke blamed the previous poor management from the council for allowing the centre to be neglected.

The building and the land it stands on, next to The Deepings School in Park Road, is owned by Lincolnshire County Council which has caused lease issues in the past.

South Kesteven District Council has managed the facility since the 1970s and is expected to hand back the lease.

"The existing building is now 48 years old and has reached the end of its life without significant investment, the facilities through their use were predominantly used exclusively by the Deepings School and members of the public outside school hours, term time and weekends which limited the use by the community, the leisure centre sadly never had a proper lease since the opening of the centre," said Coun Stokes.

Drawings and plans for new leisure centres in Stamford and the Deepings were released by the district council in March 2019, alongside an election campaign, and a preferred site for a new Deepings centre was expected to cost £15m at this time.

Coun Cooke explained that 'it's not to say we will never have one in The Deepings' but currently there are no plans to move forward.

He also apologised for the people of Market Deeping for the decision.

"We have tried all the options to make this happen," Coun Cooke added.

"I am sorry we are in the position we are in.

"I didn't get into politics to do this but sadly the climate we are in, we cannot financially afford it."

A full report of the decision to halt plans for leisure provision in The Deepings will be put in front of full council on Thursday next week (November 24).

"The decision which will be debated at the council meeting is not one that we take lightly nor is it through us not wanting to provide leisure in the Deepings, however at present this is a decision which we are having to look at in light of the current economic climate," added Coun Stokes.

It has been confirmed that despite losing thousands of pounds each month, there are no plans to close leisure centres in Stamford, Bourne and Grantham.

What do you think to the council's announcement? Let us know by emailing smeditor@stamfordmercury.co.uk.