Reopening of Kingfisher in Sudbury pushed back by two months

The Kingfisher Leisure Centre pool, in Station Road in Sudbury, has been closed since August 23, and was expected to reopen on December 11. 

However, Babergh District Council, which owns the leisure centre, has said the further work needed to complete the repairs is expected to be finished by mid-February. 

The gym and Little Kingfishers will remain open while the pool is closed. 

Councillor Laura Smith, Babergh’s cabinet member for thriving communities, said: “We’re devastated that we’ve had to delay the pool reopening, and we are sorry for the additional disruption.

Cllr Laura Smith (Image: Babergh District Council)

“We announced a reopening date with full confidence, and it was unexpected when the survey said this additional work was needed.

“While it is deeply frustrating that we now have a delay, it is unavoidable. We want the pool to reopen as soon as possible, but we have to put people’s health and safety first.”

The pool was first closed after damage was identified to a glass roof panel directly above it.

Warren Smyth, chief executive of Abbeycroft, which runs the centre, added: “We’re disappointed we can’t open in December as planned, and we know how frustrating this will continue to be for our pool users.

“We look forward to the repairs being completed, putting the disruption firmly behind us, and welcoming back swimmers after all work is completed in February.

“We will be contacting customers directly about their memberships and until the pool reopens all other Kingfisher facilities remain open and members can use any of our other five swimming pools.

“I would like to apologise to all our customer for the inconvenience this has caused and would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”