By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
The new £15.5 million leisure centre in Kirkby-in-Ashfield will be open to customers in less than a month.
Ashfield District Council has confirmed it will open the major new facility, off Lindley’s Lane and Hodgkinson Road, on August 6 – just four weeks on Saturday (July 9).
The opening will come after constructors hand over the site to leisure provider Everyone Active on July 18, with the operator to give council staff and some existing members the opportunity to test the facilities at the end of the month.
The new leisure centre will boast a 25-metre, four-lane swimming pool with a moveable floor and splash zone.
It will also include five ‘clip and climb’ walls, a soft play area, a main hall, an 85-station gym, group fitness studios, a health hub, a cafe, a sauna and steam room, a meeting room and a sensory room.
And now a leading councillor has confirmed the long-awaited centre, which replaces the neighbouring Festival Hall, is only weeks away.
Providing the update to full council on Thursday (July 7), Councillor Rachel Madden, portfolio holder for leisure, said: “Kirkby Leisure Centre is nearly there.
“The revised completion of handover to Everyone Active will now be on July 18.
“The swimming pool’s movable floor – so GPs can now refer people in – has now been installed and is due to be filled with water this week. I haven’t heard of any leaks so fingers crossed.
“The centre will be open for council staff and user groups to test the facilities over the July 30-31 weekend, and will remain open for current members until August 5.
“Then it will be open to the public from August 6.
“The posh opening weekend is still September 16-18 with assorted celebrities coming along, and there will be a range of taster activities and a film showing. It’s all well on its way.”
She added construction on the new learner pool at Hucknall Leisure Centre is also now under way.
This is expected to be completed by spring 2023 and would be the second swimming pool on offer at the Linby Road site.
It comes as part of the authority’s £22.5 million investment into leisure facilities, which has also seen major improvement works to facilities at Sutton’s Lammas Leisure Centre.
The Lammas improvements, completed at the start of this year, include new TAGactive soft play equipment and autism-friendly lighting across the centre.
