As Blantyre’s Leisure Centre continues to receive complaints about fitness for purpose, cleanliness and condition of the facilities, South Lanarkshire Council are charging on with their plans for a new multi million pound leisure centre at Larkhall.
Outside of the Schools programme, Larkhall’s planned new Leisure centre, which has seen costs rise from £13m to a staggering £24m, is the most expensive building South Lanarkshire Council have ever constructed.
The building will have a 25-metre swimming pool with a moveable floor to adjust the water depth, a gym with “high-spec” cardiovascular and resistance equipment plus free weight training areas, and a multipurpose fitness studio which will accommodate dance, badminton and community use. There will also be a spectators’ area, steam room and sauna.
Council leader Joe Fagan said: “The current Larkhall leisure centre has held a special place in the heart of the community for decades. The new facility will be a brand new, state-of the-art centre which the community can be proud of and which is fit for generations to come.”
The comparison of Larkhall to Blantyre’s aging sports centre is easy to make, both facilities being of similar age. Blantyre residents feel short changed, even more so when they see our town’s library close and effectively move into a glorified corridor in the Sports Centre. Spending £24m on one building is difficult to understand whilst the council blame lack of funding and see the need to close small but much needed, community halls which to date have been run on a pittance.
This is all great news for Larkhall of course, (despite the new facility not having some features of the current), but even with promises Blantyre should be next to get an upgrade, it leaves our town in 2025, once again feeling ignored and overlooked.
Have your say. Is our Leisure Centre fit for purpose?
