Dover District Council’s Cabinet is set to consider a recommendation to demolish the Tides Leisure Centre pool building – as exciting plans for the multi million pound Deal Leisure Centre continue to move forward.

The demolition is set to be considered at Cabinet on Monday 12 May 2025. This follows the green light in January for major plans for a new £20m leisure centre in Deal, with a six-lane pool, gym, fun inflatable sessions and a toddler splash pad.

The Tides leisure pool was built in the 1980s but has now reached its end of life and was permanently closed to the public on 16 March 2025.  To help ensure public safety, proposals have progressed at pace to demolish the pool building.

Cabinet agreed in February 2025 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. This process is ongoing.

It was also agreed to approve Your Leisure as interim operator allowing Tides Sports Hall and Indoor Tennis Centre to remain open while work progresses on the exciting multi million pound Deal Leisure Centre project.

Access to the Sports Hall and Indoor Tennis Centre is being maintained as before until alternative temporary access arrangements are in place. Once temporary access works have been completed, and the entrance and reception area has been relocated, the pool building will be completely vacant.

Subject to Cabinet decision, demolition works are set to start in the summer, at a cost of up to £600k. Demolition works are also set to include the adjacent former nursery building.

It has been determined that the demolition can take place as permitted development, which means demolition can start without the need to apply for planning permission. However, a full planning application for the development is expected in the next month.

Cllr Kevin Mills, Leader of DDC said: “We are delighted to continue to move forward with this major investment and to be considering this demolition. It has been a long journey, and we are thrilled to be so close to work beginning on the new leisure centre. 

“We know how important these facilities are to our local communities, and we have worked hard to listen to all feedback. We look forward to taking the next step on the way to delivering these exciting facilities for residents and visitors in Deal and beyond.”

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. 

DDC’s Cabinet is set to consider a recommendation on Thursday (6 Feb) to appoint Your Leisure as the interim operator of the sports hall and tennis centre at Tides Leisure Centre while major plans for the £20m development of a new centre progress.

This follows extensive work to look at other options to keep these facilities open. This has led to renewed negotiations, and a revised and more competitive expression of interest from Your Leisure. 

Since the publication of the Cabinet papers for the meeting held on 13 January, two separate operators have come forward with proposals to keep the facilities open during the interim, which have been explored. 

The recommendation to be considered on Thursday (6 Feb) is to approve Your Leisure as the interim operator for the sports hall and tennis centre, and to approve a competitive tendering process for a future operator to begin long term operations from 1 April 2026 for dryside facilities, and summer 2027 for full opening.

The intention is to hold as much of the special meeting of Cabinet as possible in public, however it may be necessary for Members to move into private during the meeting to consider any restricted information.

This follows exciting news in January that Cabinet agreed major plans for a new leisure in Deal with a six-lane pool with toddler splash pad, and an extensive range of health and fitness facilities.

Leader of DDC, Cllr Kevin Mills said: “We have been working hard to find a workable solution to keep facilities open while this exciting development gets underway.  Since the report in January, we are pleased to have been given new options to consider that mean there could be a new deal on the table.

 “We have worked hard to get to this stage and have continued to work to secure an interim provider, and to make this key development deliverable and sustainable in what has been a tough financial climate.  We now have a more competitive expression of interest which could benefit all parties and we look forward to considering these options on Thursday.”

To keep updated on the project, please see the Deal Leisure Centre page, or for more details on the Cabinet meeting on 6 February, please see the DDC meetings page. 

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 last night (13 January).  

Councillors were asked to give approval for the ambitious £20m project to proceed to the next stage of development, including an additional swimming lane and leisure options. 

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 state-of-the-art 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. 

The lease between the current operator Your Leisure and DDC to operate Tides Leisure Centre ends on 31 March 2025, at which point the swimming pool and gym will close to allow the project to progress. 

While it had been hoped to keep the tennis centre and sports hall open at this time, during the meeting councillors agreed that these facilities will need to close for nine months from 1 April 2025 while a new Deal Leisure Centre management contract is being tendered. 

The new contract will begin with a new provider in January 2026, at which point the sports hall and tennis centre will reopen while development work continues. 

Your Leisure has informed their staff and will be writing to their customers by the end of the month to let them know how the closure of the centre will affect their membership. 

Leader of DDC Cllr Kevin Mills said: “It has been a long journey to reach this point and we are thrilled to be within touching distance of work beginning on this exciting new leisure centre for Deal.

“We listened to your feedback during our public engagement sessions and are pleased to be able to add an extra swimming lane which will allow for fun inflatable sessions and lane swimming, as well as a splash pad for our youngest residents.

“We have worked hard to make this centre deliverable in what has been a tough financial climate and some difficult decisions have had to be made. The closure of the gym and swimming pool while the project progresses was a cross-party recommendation from the Project Advisory Group and while we understand people’s frustrations, this project will benefit residents and current user groups in the long-term.

“We will be working with local groups to explore what other facilities are available to users while the centre is closed.

“We look forward to taking this positive step forward to provide much needed facilities for residents and visitors.”

To keep updated on the project please go to the Deal Leisure Centre page.

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.  

The new plans are bringing forward a range of exciting new facilities for the area, while working to ensure the project remains affordable and deliverable. 

In accordance with DDC’s Constitution, executive decisions made by Cabinet are subject to call-in by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The period for call-in expires four working days after the record of decision is published. Therefore, the information contained in this release may be subject to further review and changes and may not reflect the final decision. 

Dover District Council’s Cabinet is set to consider latest options for a new leisure centre in Deal at a meeting on 13 January – this comes as the lease between Your Leisure and DDC to operate Tides Leisure Centre ends on 31 March 2025.

DDC continues to progress major proposals for a new leisure centre in Deal which will include a swimming pool, larger gym and a range of fitness studios. A full report is to be considered by Cabinet members, who are being asked to give approval for the project to proceed to the next stages of development (RIBA stage 3 & 4), including a six-lane pool option with inflatable pool fun opportunities and a toddler splash pad.

DDC is actively investigating interim operating arrangements for the Sports Hall and Indoor Tennis Centre, as it is not financially viable for Your Leisure and DDC to undertake a new lease.

This follows a series of engagement events this autumn to encourage feedback from residents on the proposed new facility, which is being taken fully into consideration.

This also follows news in July 2024 that the green light had been given to move to the next stage of development for a new leisure centre in Deal, with an agreement to further explore an additional swimming lane and leisure options. DDC’s Cabinet gave the go ahead to progress exciting plans for a £19m project and agreed for a Project Advisory Group to look into these issues in detail, which has been taking place. 

Cllr Kevin Mills, Leader of DDC, said: “Following the decision in July to move to the next stage of development for this major project, we’re very pleased to have been able to listen to the views of local communities, and to be considering this matter again at our Cabinet meeting in January. We’ve been working hard over the last two years to deliver the new leisure centre despite previous concerns over its affordability, to listen to what people want for the future, and to move forward with modern facilities for residents and visitors.”

For more information, please see the Deal Leisure Centre page on the DDC website or see the report to Cabinet on the DDC website.

Dover District Council (DDC) is hosting a series of engagement events to share progress on the next stage of development for a new Deal Leisure Centre.

Engagement events will be held at Tides Leisure Centre, across Deal Town and at Dover District Leisure Centre between 23 September and 20 October 2024. At these informal drop-ins, the public can see the emerging proposals and talk through the proposed development with the project team.

These will be held at:

Tides Leisure Centre

Monday 23 September from 4pm-7pm

Thursday 26 September from 10am-1pm

Saturday 28 September from 11am-2pm

Wednesday 2 October from 10am-1pm

Deal Town

Market: Saturday 5 October from 8am-2pm

High Street: Tuesday 8 October (near Costa Coffee) and Monday 14 October (near Superdrug) 10am-12pm

Dover District Leisure Centre

Thursday 10 October from 9am-12pm and 4pm-7pm

Information boards will be exhibited at Tides Leisure Centre throughout the engagement period and are also available to view online.  A short online survey can be completed at the drop- in events or on the DDC website www.dover.gov.uk/newdealleisurecentre

Cllr Kevin Mills, Leader of DDC, said: “We are delighted to move this exciting project to the next stage of development, and to be launching this latest round of public engagement.  This is a great opportunity for our communities to get involved. Please come along.

“We are listening to our local communities and are pleased to be giving further consideration to proposals for the leisure centre in Deal.

“We are working hard to make the new leisure centre deliverable in what has been a difficult financial climate, and to listen to what people want for the future.  We look forward to taking this next step in providing modern facilities for residents and visitors.”

To see the latest proposals and complete the survey please see www.dover.gov.uk/newdealleisurecentre

At a meeting last night, Dover District Council’s Cabinet gave the go ahead to progress exciting plans for a £19m project for new facilities at the Tides Leisure Centre site, with further consideration to be given to a six lane pool and ways to develop leisure uses for the pool. Cabinet agreed for a Project Advisory Group (PAG) to look into these issues in detail.

Key proposals before Cabinet were for a new five lane 25m pool, as well as new health and fitness stations, toning tables, multi activity and spin studios, and café area. The new build facilities could potentially be delivered by summer 2027 and would be integrated with the retained existing sports hall and indoor tennis centre.

Proposals were initiated in 2018 and 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. The new plans are bringing forward a range of exciting new facilities for the area, while working to ensure the project remains affordable and deliverable.

The latest proposals have been developed to an early feasibility stage and could still be subject to change.  A further report is set to return to Cabinet in December.

The proposals presented to Cabinet included plans for flexible pool provision with a five-lane pool that could be used for recreational swimming, learning to swim and advanced training. The lane pool could also be used to facilitate leisure activities during holiday seasons with inflatable aqua fun sessions, but proposals did not include a dedicated splash/leisure pool.

Cllr Kevin Mills, Leader of DDC said: “We are delighted to be able to move this exciting project to the next stage of development. We continue to listen to local communities and are pleased to be giving further consideration to an additional swimming lane and further leisure options. We have worked hard to make this new leisure centre deliverable in what has been a difficult financial climate. We look forward to taking this positive step forward to continue to invest in the district and provide much needed facilities for residents and visitors.”

For more information, please see the Cabinet papers for 29 July on the DDC website.