Leisure centre futures to be considered by council

Fenland District Council member Alex Miscandlon was pictured at Manor Leisure Centre while routine works were being carried out

Proposals for the future of a district's leisure facilities, including the addition of a new swimming pool, have been put forward to councillors.

Fenland District Council (FDC) members have been shown the plans and will discuss them at a meeting next week.

They include installing an extra swimming pool at Chatteris Leisure Centre, adding padel tennis courts to Hudson Leisure Centre in Wisbech and demolishing the sports hall at Manor Leisure Centre in Whittlesey.

The works are aimed at upgrading Fenland's leisure offering and would be in addition to more pressing maintenance and repair works.

FDC said £9.2m of these routine works are due to be completed over the next five years, of which £2.2m is already included in its budget.

Its cabinet will be asked to approve adding the £7m difference to its capital programme over three years at a meeting on Monday.

Greater investment could make the facilities more attractive and bring in more revenue in future, the council said, even when it no longer exists as a single entity to support them.

FDC papers note it is "likely Fenland District Council will be abolished in March 2028" as the government encourages county councils and district councils to combine into unitary authorities.

So what is being put forward for each site?

Chatteris Leisure Centre

The FDC papers said a 25 metre, four-lane pool could be added to Chatteris Leisure Centre for all purposes, from baby sessions to competitive club swimming.

This would help "fill a gap in provision in the town", they added.

Pre-construction costs alone were estimated to total £68,000, while net running costs were estimated at £107,000 per year

Manor Leisure Centre - Whittlesey

Council papers said Manor Leisure Centre's sports hall "should be demolished", with soft play and exercise classes relocated to the existing swimming pool building.

This would be "redesigned and refurbished" with an "enhanced reception, cafe and kitchen", they said, while the existing rifle range would be moved to the side of the facility under the plans.

The papers also proposed the addition of three covered and floodlit padel tennis courts.

Taken together, these works would cost FDC an additional £1.7m

Padel tennis courts could be added to two of Fenland's leisure centres

It said the facility is "outperforming estimates", possibly due to "imported" demand from Peterborough after its own Regional Pool permanently closed down.

But it added the swimming pool would close for six months while construction works took place.

Hudson Leisure Centre - Wisbech

Several suggestions for new facilities were put forward for Hudson Leisure Centre, including the addition of three covered, floodlit padel tennis courts. The same was proposed at Manor Leisure Centre in Whittlesey.

The area currently used for spinning could become an older persons' health and wellbeing space, the papers said.

Part of the gym could become activity rooms for boxing, circuit training and spinning.

Hudson Leisure Centre had previously been used for district election counts

In the longer term, consideration could be given to remodelling access to the sports hall and adding a kitchen, the papers added.

They said that if FDC was subsumed into a unitary authority the larger space would no longer be needed for elections.

Council officers said the authority should go to market for estimated costs on these works and report back to the cabinet later this year.

George Campbell Leisure Centre - March

The papers suggested a "mixed approach to condition survey and improvements", at a cost of £2.9m.

This was noted as being preferable to the other option put forward, entailing converting the reception and old changing rooms into a cafe and exercise bike studio, costing around £5.4m.

Council officers said these works would not be likely to improve the facility's revenue position and as such would not be able to offset borrowing costs.

The addition of a possible £2m learner pool was also regarded as an "unworthy investment".

George Campbell's swimming pool is closed, but due to reopen this month after works to reline it began in December.

FDC's councillors will discuss which projects to take forward at a meeting on 24 February.

The council's leisure facilities are operated by Freedom Leisure.