IMPROVEMENTS agreed for Felixstowe's swimming pools complex could get under way in September, say tourism chiefs.Suffolk Coastal council says that is the start date it is aiming for and as long as final design work and the contract process is carried out according to schedule, then there is no reason for delay.
IMPROVEMENTS agreed for Felixstowe's swimming pools complex could get under way in September, say tourism chiefs.
Suffolk Coastal council says that is the start date it is aiming for and as long as final design work and the contract process is carried out according to schedule, then there is no reason for any delay.
The council is keen to avoid the summer season when the pool is most heavily used.
It hopes Felixstowe Leisure Centre in Undercliff Road West will be able to stay open during the majority of the £859,000 refurbishment work, though it will have to close when essential work is done in the machine room.
The work is likely to take six months.
"This year Felixstowe Leisure Centre will be 18 years old and what better anniversary present for it and its many users than this promise of a major facelift that will make it much more attractive and accessible to all the public," said Maggy Wilson, cabinet member for culture and leisure.
"Some of the work has to be done, such as the £210,000 for the boiler, but most of it is based on what our customers have told us they think will make the centre even more welcoming.
"This is the district's premier leisure centre, and we want it to be open and attractive to all our residents and our many tourists."
The work, which is needed to stop a decline in the number of people using the centre, will involve major refurbishment of the changing rooms, which will include unisex family changing and toilet facilities, plus improved changing and toilet facilities for disabled people.
The main changing areas will also see improvements to the floor and walls, with changes to the overall design and layout.
Around 650,000 people use the building – its gym, children's attraction, bowls hall, multi-purpose hall and bars – every year.
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