Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Sudbury receives £100,000 cash injection from Babergh District Council towards refurbishment project
A leisure facility in Sudbury, which is undergoing the first major renovation in its history, has hailed a fresh cash injection from Babergh District Council as a big boost for achieving its ambitions.
The authority green-lit a grant of £100,000 at a cabinet meeting earlier this month to help pay for a large gym extension at the Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Station Road, as part of a £2.5 million refurbishment.
The grant will enable the centre’s existing health and wellbeing provision to more than double in size by the end of September, increasing from 40 pieces of fitness equipment to approximately 100.
It was one of five funding bids, totalling more than £338,500, to be approved from Babergh’s community infrastructure levy (CIL) funds – a pot of money paid into by developers who are granted planning permission to construct new homes, to help finance infrastructure projects in the district.
Tracey Loynds, development director for Abbeycroft Leisure, the trust which operates the Kingfisher Leisure Centre, told the Free Press they were “absolutely thrilled” to receive the money from the council.
“Being a charitable trust and a social enterprise, this CIL investment will make such a difference to the plans we’re looking to deliver at Kingfisher Leisure Centre,” she said.
“The centre is more than 30 years old, so this is a fantastic investment and a very exciting time for us.
“It’s a huge investment for the town of Sudbury.”
Among the other work taking place at the facility are two new studios for dance and community activities, and a full revamp of the wet and dry changing rooms, which have not been refurbished since the centre was first built in 1987.
The work is part of a wider programme of investment by Abbeycroft Leisure, which includes the installation of a new swimming pool, sauna and steam room at Hadleigh Pool and Leisure, scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
