Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Leisure centre’s makeover on track
‘We will make good progress on site over the coming months as part of the exciting improvements...’
A sports centre’s long-anticipated £8m overhaul is making strides a year on. Charity Active Life has released drone footage of the building work at Canterbury’s Kingsmead Leisure Centre, as a steel framework was fitted last week for a major extension.
Expected to open this summer, the fitness spot will have a new entrance, steam room, sauna, ice treatment, fitness studios, and a revamped sports hall.
Speaking on Friday (March 1), Active Life boss Derek Hambidge, said: “We are delighted with the progress made to date in delivering these muchneeded improvements on behalf of Canterbury City Council.
“We know how important Kingsmead Leisure Centre is to the wellbeing of our community and to the children that we teach to swim every day. “We were therefore delighted to work with the contractors to be able to keep as many facilities as possible open throughout.”
The timelapse drone footage
shows the moment builders WW Martin clad the foundations with the steel frameworks. Throughout the work, the swimming pool and group class programme at the Kingsmead Road site have remained available amid the extensive building.
Trevor Codd, director of WW Martin, said: “With the new build main structure now in place, we will make good progress on site over the coming months as part of the exciting improvements being delivered.”
Bosses behind the plans to upgrade the district’s busiest sports centre, alongside a £600,000 revamp for Whitstable Swimming Pool, previously said the works are due to finish this year.
Initial work on the development began in 2020, with the
project budgeted to cost £10.5m.
But the construction was brought to a halt in the April after the pandemic struck, with the scheme put on hold. However, the plans were back on the table after £2.2m savings were made, as Active Life’s parent company Fusion Lifestyle ditched its vision to build a new sports hall on stilts. Canterbury City cabinet member councillor Connie Nolan, said: “It’s great to see progress is being made on this exciting transformation of Kingsmead Leisure Centre – and that the improvements remain on course.
“This investment, being delivered on behalf of Canterbury City Council (CCC), was made in direct response to what residents told us in terms of their priorities and I’m delighted that we’re delivering on that promise.”
Last year, builders started a £600,000 Whitstable Swimming Pool scheme which will see a new dance studio and a refurbished gym pop up at the Tower Parade facility, also ran by Active Life on behalf of CCC.