FELIXSTOWE'S swimming pools complex will be out of action for six weeks in the new year as part of an £800,000 facelift project.Council chiefs are pleased that that will be the only period during the six-month refurbishment that they will have to close the seafront leisure centre.

FELIXSTOWE'S swimming pools complex will be out of action for six weeks in the new year as part of an £800,000 facelift project.

Council chiefs are pleased that that will be the only period during the six-month refurbishment that they will have to close the seafront leisure centre.

During all other times, the public will still be able to use the three pools, fitness suite, bowls rinks, hall, bars and other facilities.

Work has just got under way on the scheme, which is a mixture of essential maintenance work at the 18-year-old building, but also responding to comments and complaints from the public.

Senior council officers also say the work is needed to stop a decline in the number of people using the centre in Undercliff Road West, and without the work people would stop using it at an even faster rate.

The council is currently looking at the possibility of handing over management of the centre – used by around 650,000 people every year – to a private company, and have asked two firms to submit tenders.

The facelift includes a major refurbishment of the changing rooms, which will include unisex family changing and toilet facilities, plus improved changing and toilet facilities for disabled people and their carers.

The main changing areas will also see improvements to the floor and walls, with changes to the overall design and layout.

Contractors will also replace the boiler and equipment that powers the swimming pool and the rest of the building, and give the pool a bright new look, with new lighting and decorations. The reception will be moved closer to the entrance.

"I am particularly pleased that we can also press ahead with improvements that will result in the centre being much more accessible to disabled people," said Maggy Wilson, Suffolk Coastal cabinet member for culture and leisure.

"This is the district's premier leisure centre, and we want it to be open and attractive to all our residents and also our many tourists."

The only period the pools are expected to be closed during the work is for six weeks in January and February, one of the quietest periods of the year.