DDC leader Cllr Kevin Mills with managing director of Your Leisure Warren Reeves
Dover District Council is delighted to announce Your Leisure has been approved as interim operator, allowing Tides Sports Hall and Indoor Tennis Centre to remain open while work progresses on the exciting £20 million Deal Leisure Centre project.
Your Leisure will be offering a programme of continued activities supporting members, clubs, group exercise classes alongside a continued alternative gym offering.
This follows extensive work to look at options to keep these facilities open, which led to renewed negotiations and a revised and more competitive expression of interest from Your Leisure.
At a Cabinet meeting tonight (6 February) it was also agreed to start a competitive tendering process for a future operator for Deal Leisure Centre to begin long-term operations from 1 April 2026 for dryside facilities, and summer 2027 for full opening.
Major plans for a new leisure centre in Deal with a six-lane pool, gym, fun inflatable sessions and a toddler splash pad were agreed by DDC’s cabinet at a meeting on 13 January.
At that meeting, it was agreed that while the project progresses the swimming pool and gym would close following the cross-party Project Advisory Group recommendation, with the closure put in place when Your Leisure’s existing lease ended on 1 April 2025.
The difficult decision was also made to close the tennis centre and sports hall for nine months while a future Deal Leisure Centre management contract was tendered, as at that time out of four options under consideration there was no financially viable option to keep all facilities open.
Since the publication of the Cabinet papers for that meeting held on 13 January, two separate operators came forward with proposals to keep the indoor tennis centre and sports hall open during the interim, which were explored.
This led to tonight’s special meeting of the Cabinet and the approval of Your Leisure as the interim operator.
This means the tennis centre and sports hall will remain open while work on the Deal Leisure Centre project progresses.
The swimming pool and existing gym space will be closed throughout the redevelopment period from 1 April 2025. Demolition work is due to begin as soon as possible for a summer 2027 opening of the new leisure centre
Leader of DDC Cllr Kevin Mills said: “We are delighted to have reached a decision which will allow the indoor tennis centre and sports hall to remain open.
“We know how important these facilities are to our local communities and we have worked hard to find a solution. We have never stopped working to find a provider for the interim period to maintain services for the public, with Your Leisure now agreed as an interim operator following rigorous contract negotiations. We look forward to continuing to work with them going forward.
“Decisions we have made during this process have not been taken lightly but were the correct decisions based on the options available to us at that time. We have tackled financial challenges head on and tonight have accepted an offer that benefits our residents – the taxpayer - and the current users of Tides.
“In November 2022 the council was told this project was undeliverable yet we’re now delivering this much-needed and overdue facility for the community.”
Warren Reeves, managing director of Your Leisure said: “We are delighted to be working with DDC and to continue our working relationship for another year to deliver these valuable services to the community.”
To keep updated on the project please go to the Deal Leisure Centre page. Please see the DDC meetings page for the full Cabinet report.
Notes:
Proposals for the new Deal Leisure Centre were initiated in 2018 but progress was significantly disrupted by COVID-19 as the leisure industry began to recover and rebuild.
Plans were further developed in 2022 when a series of consultation events were held to share early design concepts.
A report was considered by Cabinet in November 2023 to provide a project update and consider financial viability issues, when it was agreed to explore further options that might enable the project to move forward.
Original plans were for a five-lane pool and no dedicated splash pad, but after considering feedback from the public following nine engagement events and further testing the financial implications, an extra lane and leisure opportunities have been included in the scheme.
This will be in addition to a new gym and health and fitness studios, toning tables and cafe area.
On this approval, the new-build facilities will potentially be delivered by summer 2027 and integrated with the existing sports hall and indoor tennis centre.
Posted on 06 February 2025