Soaring costs, significant financial pressures and the impact of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) could force plans for Bexhill leisure facilities to be redrawn.
Rother District Council had earmarked £9.8 million within the Capital Programme, mainly funded from the £9 million Levelling Up Partnership funding to transform the former Bexhill High School site into a new leisure facility with residential development.
But with inflation and rising construction costs pushing the initial £15.5 million bill to an estimated £26 million, the scheme has become unaffordable.
Cabinet members will be asked to consider a report when it meets on Monday, April 7, which proposes spending £2 million from council reserves on structural repairs and refurbishment of Bexhill Leisure Centre and Ravenside Pool. This will ensure that those facilities can continue to be operational over the coming years ahead of LGR.
The report also recommends reallocating the £9 million Levelling Up Partnership funding to the council’s temporary accommodation programme (£4.8 million), one of the authority’s biggest cost pressures, and the Blackfriars housing development scheme (£4.2m) which will deliver 200 much needed new homes, to replace the current borrowing requirement. If the money is not reallocated and spent by March 2026, the Government could take it back.
The report recognises that the King Offa Leisure and Residential Development project had been and remains a priority for Rother District Council but adds: “Given the financial challenge and strategic considerations, the recommendation is to focus on maintaining existing leisure facilities and reallocating funds to address immediate needs.”
Under the proposals, the council would work with Freedom Leisure to agree a three-year contract for it to continue to manage Bexhill Leisure Centre and Ravenside Pool on behalf of Rother District Council.
Some investment and a new contract for the management of facilities will give continuity and certainty over the short-term, according to the report.
“This approach will also enable more strategic conversations regarding leisure provision through LGR. It is essential to ensure continued operation of the existing leisure facilities over the next two years while exploring potential joint leisure contracts with local partners,” it adds.
Cabinet will be asked to make a series of decisions, with recommendations to full council regarding the final budget allocations. The full report can be viewed at: King Offa Leisure Residential Development
Published: 31st March 2025
