Two spa facilities run by council to close permanently

Saunas, steam rooms and spa pool facilities were shut at Wiltshire Council leisure centres in 2023

Two spa facilities will be permanently closed the year after a council decided to temporarily shut them due to costs.

Saunas, steam rooms and spa pool facilities were shut at Wiltshire Council leisure centres in early 2023.

It has now made the decision to close two of them for good and reopen another one on a trial basis.

Councillor Ian Blair-Pilling said: “We are in the process of working out the best way to offer these services to our customers at good value, but in a way that’s sustainable for us to run."

The council said it cost around £80,000 a year in total to operate the facilities, while the sites generated income of around £10,000 in the nine months prior to the temporary closure.

The facilities at Marlborough Leisure Centre and The Olympiad in Chippenham are the ones which will permanently close.

'Thought long and hard'

And the council has decided to reopen the Salisbury health suite facility at Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre in September on a trial basis to assess its sustainability.

The health suite facilities at Bradford-on-Avon, Devizes, Durrington and Springfield Community Campus will remain closed "for the time being", with a decision on their future set to be made at a later date.

Mr Blair-Pilling, cabinet member for leisure and public health, said: “We have thought long and hard about what to do about these facilities.

"They are costly to run and do have an impact on our carbon footprint, though we do recognise that some people did enjoy using them."

“We are committed to offering the best possible facilities for our residents to ensure their health and wellbeing is fully supported, and I thank people for their patience while we’ve been carrying out this important due diligence,” he added.