Call to save 'unloved' leisure centre from closure

A campaign has been launched in a bid to save the New Parks Leisure Centre in Leicester from closure.

Leicester City Council said the 51-year-old complex in St Oswald's Road is the least used of the seven leisure centres it runs, requires £2.8m of repairs over the next few years, and is no longer financially viable.

However, the Leicester Penguins Swimming Club, which uses the site's pool, said the proposed closure came "out of the blue" when it was announced this week.

It said the closure of the centre could force it to relocate.

The club has 200 members and has urged people to take part in a six-week consultation launched by the council, and said it would "push back" against the proposal.

The council said it would invest £8m improving facilities at the Leicester Leys Leisure Centre in Beaumont Leys if it went ahead with the New Parks closure.

Leicester Penguins spokesperson Olivia Wiles, 25, said: "The proposed closure will have a huge impact on us as no local leisure centre has the ability to accommodate us, meaning we will have to relocate.

"A lot of our swimmers live in the surrounding areas and may not have transportation in order to access a new location.

"This is taking away their ability to train and exercise in a sport they enjoy."

Wiles said the closure would also be a blow to the surrounding area.

"Closing the leisure centre will mean fewer opportunities for young people and potentially much longer journeys to find alternative venues," she added.

"We are going to push back against this."

Jo Randall, managing director of the Team Hub, a community centre next door to the leisure centre, said: "It would be a shame if it closes.

"We run a holiday activity project and we take children to swim there. Local schools do also use it.

"But a lot of people in the community don't. They get on the bus and go to Braunstone.

"It is unloved and it has been allowed to get into a state."

Opposition councillors have also said the Labour-run authority is removing facilities from a deprived part of the city.

The council said there were 1,347 registered users of the New Parks complex, and claimed many people in the area already used other nearby facilities.

"The centre is constrained by its age, condition, design and layout, leaving no realistic opportunity for redevelopment or reconfiguration that would significantly improve its appeal and overall performance," a report stated.

It has said the cleared site could be used for social housing but no decision would be made until the end of its consultation.

Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor for health, culture, libraries and community centres, said: "We've invested heavily in our leisure centres over recent years, transforming facilities across the city and helping to increase usage to more than two million visits a year.

"We now have the opportunity to make a major investment at Leicester Leys – one of our most popular centres - creating a modern leisure, library and wellbeing hub that can serve local families for many years to come.

"At the same time, we want to hear people's thoughts on the possible closure of New Parks Leisure Centre and the challenges the site faces.

"No decisions have been made, and I encourage everyone with an interest to take part in the consultation and share their views."

Under the proposals, Beaumont Leys Library would be relocated to the Leicester Leys Leisure Centre.

New flumes would also be installed, to replace existing water slides that have been shut since 2019.

There would be upgrades to the leisure pool and fun pool area, including new features for babies, toddlers and young children.

A140-capacity fitness station gym with new equipment would also be developed alongside a new dance studio which would also serve as a "community wellbeing space".

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