Kingston residents can now view the complete steel frame skeleton and timber roof beams of the new Kingston Leisure Centre on Fairfield Road behind the Fairfield Bus Station
After the decision to rebuild the centre in 2019 as the old roof no longer met required safety standards, the council is expecting the new building to be complete in spring of 2027.
Councillor Allison Holt, the portfolio holder for leisure and economic development, said in a statement: “I’m so pleased that our residents can see that we’re making progress in bringing the new Kingston Leisure Center to life, and I want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has worked hard to help us get to this point.”
The new centre will showcase a competition grade 25-metre eight-lane swimming pool, which will be the home of Kingston Royals Swimming Club. A smaller 20-metre teaching and learning pool for learn-to-swim lessons will also be included in the aquatics section of the build.
The pool’s water tightness is currently being tested according to a statement released by Kingston Council, as well as cladding the walls to weatherproof the building.
A member of Kingston Royals Swimming Club said: “We currently have to go through five different pools to train which is really hard, so it’s gonna be really nice to have one location in the centre of Kingston.”
The new build is reported by the Council to cost £44.5 million, and the decisions on amenities were the result of a survey including 4,000 residents in 2021. It was initially reported by the council in 2021 that the leisure centre would be ready for use in 2024.
“We are delighted that this hugely significant project has reached the topping-out stage, marking an important milestone and reflecting the excellent progress made by the construction team,” said Alliance Leisure Development Director Tom Fairy in a statement. “The scale and form of the new centre are now clearly visible. We look forward to completing the construction phase and delivering this outstanding new facility for the Kingston community, supporting health and wellbeing for generations to come.”
