Deeping St James Leisure Centre closure set to be permanent

A leisure centre closed for over a year while awaiting repairs is likely to remain shut for good due to spiralling costs, a council has said.

The Deepings Leisure Centre in Deeping St James, Lincolnshire, closed its doors in July 2021 after heavy rain caused significant damage.

Earlier this year, South Kesteven District Council approved a £10.7m refurbishment scheme for the facility.

But it has now suggested the repairs could be ditched as "no longer viable".

Plans for a 3G football pitch on a nearby playing field could also be scrapped.

A local swimming club said it was "devastated" by the permanent closure.

At a meeting next week, it will be recommended to councillors that the refurbishment is cancelled and management of the leisure centre be handed back to owners Lincolnshire County Council.

South Kesteven District Council has blamed higher energy prices, construction costs and the cost of borrowing for the proposed cancellation, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A spokesperson for the authority said: "The council does not underestimate the hugely significant impact a permanent closure of Deepings Leisure Centre would have on the local community.

"The building is 48 years old and requires significant investment to bring it back into use. Regrettably, the reality of the situation is that it may no longer be viable to continue managing a leisure centre at the site."

Councillor Ashley Baxter, leader of the opposition Alliance SK group, described the move as a "betrayal" for residents.

He said he was "disgusted, disappointed and outraged" by the proposal and hoped the local community would find "a way to reopen it".

The Deepings Leisure Centre has been managed by South Kesteven District Council since it was built in 1974, while the building and land is owned by Lincolnshire County Council.

Sophie Beckerton, chair of The Deepings Swimming Club, which uses the leisure centre, told the BBC its permanent closure would be "absolutely devastating, not just for the club but for the general public as well".

She said: "Being without a leisure centre is awful [with] young kids not being able to swim."

Members of the swimming club had been forced to travel elsewhere for pool facilities since the centre's temporary closure, Ms Beckerton added.

A full council meeting on 24 November is due to decide whether the leisure centre's planned revamp will be cancelled.

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