Leisure centres set to reopen after latest in £10m refurbishment projects
The new-look Waveney Valley Leisure Centre after a £3.4m refurbishment. - Credit: East Suffolk Council.
Leisure centres around a coastal district are to reopen next week after refurbishment projects totalling over £10 million.
Indoor leisure facilities have been given the green light to reopen from Monday, April 12, as part of the next stage on the government's roadmap out of lockdown.
And East Suffolk Council is preparing to welcome visitors following some major refurbishment schemes, with a £1m project at Lowestoft's Waterlane Leisure Centre finishing last month.
A £1 million refurbishment was finished at Waterlane Leisure Centre in April 2021. - Credit: Nick Butcher
Tim Snook, leisure development partnership manager at East Suffolk Council, said: "We are really pleased to be able to welcome customers back next week as we know many are keen to get back to their fitness regimes.
"We have invested significantly in our leisure centres over the past five years, bringing refreshed state-of-the-art facilities to our local communities.
"This means people can now enjoy local facilities that are beyond excellent and offer an enhanced experience to meet all their fitness needs in a safe environment.
"We want to reassure everyone that the safety of our customers and staff remain a priority and every step has been taken to ensure we can re-open as safely as possible."
Everyone Active, which was appointed as the council's northern leisure operator in January, is preparing to reopen its Lowestoft centre alongside the Waveney Valley Leisure Centre in Bungay, which reopened last year following a £3.4 million redevelopment.
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All activities will be operated in sessions with a limited number of people allowed and must be booked via the app or website, with sessions lasting 50 minutes.
Changing facilities are not available, while users are asked to arrive no earlier than five minutes before their start time.
Stuart Jardine, Everyone Active's contract manager, said: "The latest step in the government's roadmap is a positive move forward for the leisure industry."
In the south of the district, Places Leisure are preparing to reopen Brackenbury Sports Centre, Deben Leisure, which had a £3.5 million redevelopment in 2018, Leiston Leisure centre, which had a £4 million redevelopment in 2019, and Felixstowe Leisure Centre.
Jeremy Boreham, area manager for Places for People Leisure, said: "After what's seemed an incredibly long third lockdown, we are very excited to announce we are reopening our centres and we cannot wait to welcome our colleagues and customers back."
