Pool reopening at Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Sudbury faces ‘frustrating but unavoidable’ delay

Initial repair work relating to a damaged roof, which led to the pool’s closure at the end of August, has been completed on schedule, and it was hoped swimmers would return on 11 December.

However, Babergh District Council, which owns the leisure centre, has been taking the opportunity to carry out additional repairs and surveys on the pool while it is empty.

This has revealed a new problem which requires additional structural work to the pool.  This further work is expected to be finished by mid-February, with a new opening date to be confirmed as soon as possible.

All other facilities at Kingfisher, including the gym, remain open.

Cllr Laura Smith, Babergh’s cabinet member for Thriving Communities, said:

“We’re devastated that we’ve had to delay the pool reopening, and we are sorry for the additional disruption.

“We announced a reopening date with full confidence, and it was unexpected when the survey said this additional work was needed.

“While it is deeply frustrating that we now have a delay, it is unavoidable. We want the pool to reopen as soon as possible, but we have to put people’s health and safety first.”

The additional work will mean the wave machine is temporarily out of action when it reopens.

The swimming pool was initially forced to close on 23 August after damage was identified to a glass roof panel directly above it. 

There were hopes it would be a quick repair, but further investigations revealed other roof panels – made of specialist safety glass - were also showing signs of delaminating, presenting a more complex problem than first thought.

This has forced the council to examine a number of long-term options for the entire glass section of roof, which has around 170 bespoke panels. Those proposals will be brought forward in due course. 

However, to avoid further disruption to swimmers in the meantime, the glass roof above the pool has been safely sealed, and an additional platform installed just beneath it.

The leisure centre is owned by Babergh Council and operated by not-for-profit social enterprise Abbeycroft.

Warren Smyth, chief executive of Abbeycroft, added:

“We’re disappointed we can’t open in December as planned, and we know how frustrating this will continue to be for our pool users.

“We look forward to the repairs being completed, putting the disruption firmly behind us, and welcoming back swimmers after all work is completed in February.

“We will be contacting customers directly about their memberships and until the pool reopens all other Kingfisher facilities remain open and members can use any of our other five swimming pools. 

“I would like to apologise to all our customer for the inconvenience this has caused and would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”