Work begins on £1.8m investment at Newmarket Leisure Centre

Newmarket Leisure Centre will be open for business as usual during a 42-week programme to deliver its £1.8m upgrade.

The first phase, to be completed by Christmas, sees extra space created in the first floor gym together with new changing rooms, including repurposing of the little-used sauna and steam room area, which will permanently close.

Jo Rayner, West Suffolk Council Cabinet member for Leisure, Culture and Community Hubs said: “We are using an investment fund that we created to support our cornerstone of healthy families and communities, to upgrade our leisure centres and provide more opportunities for local people to be social and active. We asked local people what they valued about Newmarket Leisure Centre and what they would want to see. The investment builds on strengths as a social hub with excellent ‘fitness for health’ credentials by providing amazing new soft play and café areas, improved gym and changing facilities, and extra studio and therapy room capacity. I hope users will be delighted with this tailored approach and thank them for bearing with us during the work.”

Swimming pool and sports hall facilities will not be affected, although there may be temporary reception arrangements during the three phase project.

Warren Smyth, chief executive of Abbeycroft Leisure, the trust which manages the leisure centre on behalf of West Suffolk Council, said: “Work is being managed to minimise disruption for users and the leisure centre will be open for business as usual while work is going on. But do please speak to staff if you have an issue and we will do all we can to work with you.

“The first phase from now until Christmas is on the first floor with gym members using the ground floor changing rooms while their new gym space and changing rooms are under construction. This sees the permanent closure of the steam room and sauna. In the New Year we begin work on the new heart of the leisure centre with the ground floor café and soft play areas and once those are open in the spring we return to the first floor to complete the new studio and therapy spaces. The end result will be a great leisure destination with a real community feel, which is just what users expressed they’d like to see.”

Pictured above is Jo Rayner, centre, and the project team who are delivering the £1.8m upgrade underway at Newmarket Leisure Centre.