A significant multi-million pound refurbishment of Manchester Aquatics Centre will begin at the end of November
The Centre will close its doors on Friday 26 November and will fully reopen again in late Spring 2023, although there will be limited access to the training pool while the work is undertaken.
The refurbishment scheme has been designed to maintain and grow the centre’s aquatics and health and fitness programmes for the next 20 years. It will include upgrade works to all areas of the centre including: all the swimming pools; fitness suites including all gyms and studios, leisure water; cafe; health suite; changing places with accessible changing provision to meet the needs of disabled people.
The refurbishment will introduce new digital and sustainable technologies helping to make the centre more energy efficient, reducing the building’s carbon footprint, contributing to the city’s wider drive to cut carbon emissions and to provide a more modern and efficient building in the long term.
The improvement works will be split into phases which will enable a reduced programme of public swimming to continue for the duration of the refurbishment.
The gyms, studio, health suite, main pool, diving pool and café will close from end of day Friday 26th November 2021 and the reduced programme of public swimming in the training pool will be available from Wednesday 8th December 2021. Sessions can be booked via the Better UK app and online at www.better.org.uk/book
Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, executive member for Neighbourhoods said: The work to upgrade the facilities at the Centre is needed to future proof it for the next 20 years and beyond and although it may be inconvenient in the short term, the long term gain of high quality, affordable leisure facilities for the community will be very much worth the wait when the work is complete. There is a huge range of alternative centres across the city which the local community can use while the work take place including the Sugden Centre which is close by and we have tried to ensure that some swimming can take place although it is much reduced while the refurbishment programme is underway. “
