7 April, 2004

Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre is set to close in April for substantial engineering upgrades to the plant and machinery responsible for heating, lighting, ventilation and air quality. Parts of the Leisure Centre will be closed for 16 weeks although some areas will be reopening in May.

The whole Leisure Centre will close on Monday 19 April, immediately after the Easter holiday. This excludes the athletics track and all-weather floodlit playing area, which will not be affected by the closure. While Easter is traditionally one of the busiest times for the Leisure Centre the period between then and the summer holidays is much quieter, which is why this time has been chosen to close the centre.

Between 19 April and 16 May, some of the daytime classes that would normally take place in the Leisure Centre will be relocated to the Spectrum Gym Club in Western Way or the athletics track shed and all of the evening classes will move to KingEdwardsSchool. Pre paid tickets for these classes are available now from the Bury Leisure Centre reception. Credit and debit card payments can also be taken over the phone between 9am-6pm during the closure.

After four weeks, around 17 May, it is anticipated that much of the "dry side" of the Leisure Centre will be able to reopen. This includes the fitness studio, although Saunaworld will remain closed. The leisure pool, including the flumes, will reopen at the end of June in time for the summer holidays with the whole Leisure Centre set to reopen completely in early August. The main pool will remain closed from April 19 until early August to carry out repair work to damaged tiles.

While the plant upgrade is being carried out, the opportunity will also be taken to improve the poolside viewing gallery, which will make it more accessible for people who are disabled or have pushchairs and young children. The new plant will be much more energy efficient than the current machinery so savings in fuel costs will be made in the long term.

Cllr Terry Clements, Cabinet member for Leisure and Sport, said:

"We recognise that this will be a great inconvenience to all those who take such enjoyment from using our Leisure Centre but it is the only way this vital work can be carried out safely. We will do our best to reopen as much of the facility as quickly as possible to keep the disappointment to a minimum. At the end of the work all our customers will be able to enjoy a much improved environment in the Leisure Centre, with better lighting, heating and air quality. There will also be better access to the pool viewing area."

ENDS

Contacts:

Leisure Facilities Manager Eric Armstrong, 01440 702548

Cllr Terry Clements, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Sport, 01284 827161