Partial closure of wet side facilities at Leisure at Cheltenham

This follows the completion of a full assessment and inspection by specialist contractors who have confirmed there are ceiling panels containing re-enforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in the closed area of the centre. Measures will be taken to strengthen the panels to ensure the area is made safe for the public.

The council is working closely with its contractors and The Cheltenham Trust and aims to have the work completed as quickly as possible.

The rest of the building, including the main pool, changing village and diving pool, are not impacted and will continue to operate as normal.

Laurie Bell, CEO of The Cheltenham Trust, said: “We would like to apologise to our members and customers and thank them for their continued patience. Customers affected by the closure are being contacted directly and the Leisure at Cheltenham website has the updated swim programme.”

“The leisure centre team has rescheduled swimming lessons and classes in the main pool, where possible, to reduce the impact on the swim programme in the teaching pool. The team has also scheduled additional soft play sessions for the centre’s younger users while the Splash Pad remains closed.”

Cllr Peter Jeffries, cabinet member for finance and assets at Cheltenham Borough Council, said: “We understand that the closure may cause inconvenience however the safety of staff and the general public is our priority. We will continue to work with the Cheltenham Trust to act on the advice we receive from our structural engineers. The work will be completed as soon as is possible and we thank everyone for their understanding.”

The swim programme and full schedule of classes and activities is available on the Leisure at Cheltenham website, at [email protected].

The leisure centre is owned by Cheltenham Borough Council and operated by The Cheltenham Trust.

For media enquiries, contact: communications, telephone 01242 264231, email [email protected]

Notes:
RAAC is a lightweight, aerated form of concrete commonly used in construction between the 1950s and mid-1990s. It is predominantly found as precast panels in roofs, commonly found in flat roofs, and occasionally in floors and walls.  It means it may be found in any building that was either built or modified in this time. 

The council owns or manages around 400 buildings and assets around the town. In response to Government guidance released in September 2023 relating to RAAC, a firm of specialist structural engineers supported a review to identify any of our properties which met any of the criteria outlined in the guidance. From this work, the detailed inspection of one area of Leisure at Cheltenham was recommended and action immediately taken once the results were reported.