Permanent Closure of Dewsbury Sports Centre Approved

Councillors have announced the permanent closure of a leisure centre that had been temporarily shut. Dewsbury Sports Centre ceased operations last September following the identification of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (Raac) within its structure. According to Kirklees Council, the estimated cost to renovate both the aquatic and dry facilities of the centre would be approximately £10m. Following a contentious discussion, cabinet members cast votes this afternoon to approve proposals for the site’s permanent closure. Dewsbury West councillor Tanisha Bramwell, who characterized the decision as “wrong” after its approval, referred to the centre as a “crucial lifeline for health and sport” for the community. Graham Turner, a representative of the council’s ruling Labour party, expressed that the choice to shut down the centre was “terribly sad”. He indicated that the council might “look at providing something” in terms of a leisure facility should its financial standing improve, but further stated: “When that is likely to be is anybody’s guess at the moment.” The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that six potential options for the building had undergone consideration. These options encompassed reopening the entire facility, as well as reopening only the dry side and transferring ownership of the asset to the local community. Another proposal involved demolishing the wet side and converting it into a car park or allocating it for a different alternative purpose. Turner commented that none of these options “contain a perfect answer because they are all unaffordable at the present time”. The BBC has reached out to the council for information regarding the funding of this decision. Among all facilities managed by Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL), the centre had been incurring the largest deficit, amounting to just over £1.1m annually. Demolishing the facility and converting it into a car park is projected to cost approximately £3.5m, and the council would also need to terminate a lease for the dry-side amenities, potentially incurring substantial expenses. Should these recommendations be adopted, the council would additionally be responsible for writing off £697,000 of KAL’s outstanding borrowing costs, which were scheduled for instalment payments until 2035 for structural enhancements to the centre. Councillor Beverley Addy, the cabinet member for adult social care and health, stated: “This is a difficult decision and one that we won’t take lightly.” She continued: “That’s why we’ve spent a year looking at all the options.” She further added: “But we can’t escape the fact that the building needs multi million-pound improvements just to reopen as well as an ongoing subsidy of over £1m each year.”