June 14, 2022 3.00 pm This story is over 21 months old

Deepings Leisure Centre won’t reopen until 2025

It is nearly a year since the leisure centre closed
The Deepings Leisure Centre has been closed since mid-2021

The Deepings Leisure Centre isn’t expected to reopen until January 2025.

The leisure centre in Deepings St James closed last summer due to safety concerns over the leaky roof.

The repairs have been complicated by the lack of a lease, with South Kesteven District Council unable to being work until it is agreed. Negotiations on this still in process.

The roof is so precarious that even putting a tarpaulin on the roof could cause it to collapse.

Councillor Phil Dilks accused the council of neglecting the leisure centre, but they say that their hands have been tied.

“Next month, it will be a full year since the leisure centre was temporarily closed due to the leaky roof. This council has failed to provide proper maintenance year after year,” he told a meeting of the council’s Culture and Visitor Economy Panel.

“The required work can’t being until a lease has been agreed.

“The numbers of talented youngsters going to early morning swim coaching have dwindled away from 20 to just three or four. Parents have been facing a 20 mile round trip in the morning to take them to other leisure centres.”

Repairs have been complicated due to contract issues

The site is owned by Lincolnshire County Council and leased to Deepings School under a long lease – however there is no signed lease in place.

Councillor Judy Stevens responded that the historic problems meant that the issue would take time to resolve.

“The signing of the lease isn’t an issue that has come up in recent years – this has been an ongoing problem since the 1970s. The proper land ownership was never clarified,” she said.

“A lot of criticism has been levelled at SKDC, but many officers have tried to unravel this extremely difficult set of circumstances.

“This should be a lesson that when we enter into an agreement into future, we need to make sure we know exactly what is being agreed.”

Council officers have confirmed that work was underway to agree a lease so work could begin.

The current estimate is that it would be January 2025 before the repairs had been made and the centre was reopened.

Surveys have been carried out to assess the state of the lesiure centres in Stamford, Grantham and Bourne.

The council recently approved £10.7million plans which will see the learner pool retained as well as a full remodelling and refurbishment.

The leisure centre’s website says: “This would significantly improve its current facilities and secure its future for the next 25 years.

“SKDC is committed to providing leisure facilities which its customers can be proud of, enabling you to lead healthy lives by participating in a wide range of activities.”