Ground broken to mark beginning of work on £2.4million regeneration of Hadleigh Pool and Leisure facility

A multi-million pound renovation of a south Suffolk leisure facility, including the installation of a new swimming pool, is now under way, following a ground-breaking ceremony last week.

Town and district councillors gathered at Hadleigh Pool and Leisure on Thursday to put the spade in the ground for a new £2.4million project, heralding the official start of work to build a new five-lane 25-metre pool at the Abbeycroft Leisure-operated centre.

Funded by Babergh District Council and supported by grants from Hadleigh Town Council and Sports England, the refurbishment will also deliver a new sauna, toilet and shower facility, spectator seating and disability access provisions.

The work, which is scheduled for completion next summer, is taking place alongside a similar £2.35 million revamp of the Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Sudbury, where a new 100-station gym, dance studio and changing facilities are being built over the next three years.

Derek Davis, Babergh District Council’s cabinet member for communities, said: “Providing new community leisure facilities in Babergh is a real priority for us and it’s great that work is now starting in Hadleigh to do just that.

“This work takes a huge step in helping our residents of today remain healthy and active, as well as ensuring that future generations can enjoy our leisure facilities over the coming years.”

The council confirmed that the current pool and leisure facilities will remain open as normal during most of the work.

Towards the end of the project, the existing pool will be demolished, before being landscaped and converted into new park land.

Tracey Loynds, Abbeycroft Leisure’s development director, said: “We recognise we need to improve our customer experience with modern, fit-for-purpose facilities.

“This is a great investment for us and for the people of Hadleigh and will go a long way to supporting our community to get more active.”