Final phases of £8.7m refurbishment of Fife leisure centre as library set to move in

Work to upgrade Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre is moving on at pace, and last week councillors were given a tour to see what has changed behind the doors of the venue. The move will also see the town’s library relocating from its existing site in the town’s High Street.

The upgrade includes an enhanced gym space to increase capacity and provide a new, dedicated fitness/aerobic studio space for group activity; a replacement of the sauna and steam room; refurbished wet side changing area to include the installation of a changing places unit, the replacement and repurposing of the synthetic turf pitch, and improvements to the external façade.

The Early Years provision, which moved to a temporary location across the street next to the Maxwell Centre, will also return to the centre once the refurbishment is complete.

Cllr Alex Campbell, convenor of Cowdenbeath area committee, said: “We were here just over a year ago when the work first started, so to see the changes that have been made is amazing. This is a significant investment in the local community. When it reopens, the centre will provide all these great facilities in one place. Once work is finished, we’ll have a facility which is welcoming and inclusive to all.”

The arms length Fife Sports and Leisure Trust (FSLT) has operated Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre since 2008 and during the closure which started in April 2024, it has continued to provide services at other nearby facilities.

Emma Walker, chief executive,said: “The library move from the High Street to Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre will provide a modern, accessible space. Co-location of the library, sitting alongside the Early Year's provision and the wider services within the leisure centre, will provide customers with a joined up cohesive service.”

Heather Stuart, chief executive of OnFife, which operates the library, said: "This is a really exciting move for us and will bring many benefits to customers, with a new modern space integrated with other services. We're looking forward to welcoming our existing library users into the new space when we move but also to the great opportunity to open up our services to new customers who will find the library's new home more accessible.”

The refurbishment work is expected to be completed by this autumn.