Council set to pull plug on £10m redevelopment plans for Deeping Leisure Centre

A planned £10 million redevelopment of Deeping Leisure Centre is set to be scrapped, leaving the facility to remain shut.

South Kesteven District Council had set to bring the centre back to life, after it was badly damaged by flooding earlier last year.

But now the plans have been pulled, with the council saying they cannot afford the costs of the work.

‘The decision is not one we take lightly’

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance & Leisure, Cllr Adam Stokes, said: "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, this is a decision that so many other councils across the country are taking, with them potential closing their leisure facilities with an estimated 2,000 potentially closing by the end of the decade.

"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.”

Refurbishment of the leisure centre, at an estimated cost of £10.55 million, was given the go-ahead by the Cabinet in April 2022 but the scheme will be re-considered at a Full Council meeting on November 24.

The centre has been closed since July 27th 2021, due to serious health and safety concerns. Rapid deterioration of the building was highlighted after heavy rainfall caused significant damage to the roof and there was widespread water ingress throughout the building.

Cost of raw materials trebled

Cllr Stokes added: “The pressures which we face are around the cost of raw materials estimated to treble during 2022, a shortage in the labour market and also inflationary pressures which have the ability to increase the

project cost by around 40%, which we could not have projected when we started looking at this project. This will then impact on the costs of borrowing which sadly with the increase in interest rates has nearly doubled the costs of borrowing by 48%.”

‘The current financial outlook remains very challenging’

A spokesperson for SKDC said: “Along with other public authorities, the current financial outlook remains very challenging for South Kesteven District Council.

“While the advantages of providing publicly accessible leisure facilities are well known, many Councils across the country are having to make the difficult decision to either temporarily or permanently close their leisure facilities.

“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.”