Centre shut due to gas from landfill is to reopen
FOR LEISURE BACK IN ACTION
OCTOBER SET
COMPLEX TO BE
A LEISURE centre closed last year because of high levels of methane seeping up from a former landfill site is expected to reopen by the end of the year.
Huncote leisure centre, in Blaby district, was shut by the council in November.
It was built in the 1980s on land which had been used as a tip until about 1973. Methane gas is produced through the decomposition of rubbish.
The problem came to light when scheduled work on the monitoring and venting systems was carried out in a field behind the centre.
Blaby District Council had hoped to reopen the centre the same month, but further work to control and monitor the methane were found to be necessary.
The council has now announced plans to reopen the site in October. An exact date for the reopening will be announced in the coming weeks, the authority said.
Work is being prioritised at the section of the former landfill site where the building lies. Once this area is safe, the leisure centre can reopen, the council said.
Council leader Terry Richardson, above, said: “We are delighted to be in the position where we can offer clarity on the future of Huncote leisure centre.
“An enormous amount of hard work has taken place at the site over the past eight months, solving the landfill gas issues.”
A total of £600,000 had been budgeted for mitigation work and monitoring over two years.
Coun Richardson said: “Huncote leisure centre is too big an asset to lose forever.
“Residents and businesses rely on the site and this decision not only makes financial sense for the council but also our local communities.”
Work at the site has included installing gas extraction systems, venting wells, water sampling equipment and monitoring points