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Rotherham leisure centres due to open
By Caroline Wilkinson
The first of Rotherham Borough Council's new leisure centres is due to open this September as part of a £35m redevelopment scheme, which will see three facilities open this year and a fourth in 2009.
The project will replace seven swimming pools, the Herringthorpe Leisure Centre and Thrybergh Sports Centre, which will be closed between August and November.
When complete, three of the new facilities will become dual-use and relocated closer to secondary school campuses in order to build a stronger connection between education and leisure. The fourth flagship centre, Rotherham Leisure Complex, is being built in the town centre's St Anns car park.
The construction work is being carried out by Willmott Dixon and DC Leisure has been appointed to manage the centres on a 32-year contract.
The first to open, on 17 September, is Aston Leisure Centre in Aston-cum-Aughton, will boast a five-lane, 25m swimming pool, a learner pool, a four-court sports hall and a 25-station fitness suite with separate dance studio.
This will be followed by the town centre flagship facility, which is the only site not to be dual-use. When it opens on the 29 October, it will feature three swimming pools - a six lane, 25m pool, a 12m learners pool and leisure water, incorporating a 'lazy river', spa and 70m flume.
The facility will also include an indoor 12m climbing tower, a multi-purpose sports hall and four squash courts with two moveable walls which will allow them to be expanded into aerobic rooms. There will also be a 90-station fitness suite and a dance studio.
The last one to open this year is Wath Leisure Centre in Wath-upon-Dearne, due to launch 3 December. This will include a five-lane, 25m pool and separate teaching pool, plus a 40-station fitness suite and dance studio.
Maltby Leisure Centre is not due to open until 2009 but when it does it will include a six-lane competition pool, a separate diving and teaching pool, a four-court sports hall and fitness suite.
The facility will also feature a Joint Service Centre, which is the first stage of a long-term strategy between the council and the Rotherham Primary Care Trust to create a one-stop-shop for health and local authority services. The centre is being supported by RBT Connect, a joint partnership between the council and BT, which will provide a new customer service centre.
The whole project is a joint public/private venture funded by the DCMS and the Department for Communities and Local Government through its private finance initiative (PFI). Funding has also been provided by the Lottery's New Opportunities for PE and School Sports fund, Rotherham Primary Care Trust and from the council's capital budget.
Phil Rogers, director of culture and leisure services at the council, said: "Once completed the new leisure centres will be enjoyed by thousands of people, helping to improve their lives and well-being. We predict that the facilities will attract around a million visitors a year."
Councillor Gerald Smith, cabinet member for regeneration and development, said: "By Christmas, Rotherham will have three new leisure facilities offering a huge choice of activities.
"We have staggered the openings to allow for vital staff training and for people to travel to other pools during the interim period when their local old facility closes and their new one opens. We appreciate there will be a gap of perhaps a fortnight in each area when the old facility closes, but we hope the public appreciates that we have to allow for the movement of staff."
The first of Rotherham Borough Council's new leisure centres is due to open this September as part of a £35m redevelopment scheme, which will see three facilities open this year and a fourth in 2009.
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