Rising numbers flock to Fife sports centre after £1.4m investment

The one-off cash boost saw extensive construction works carried out to extend the gym and create a dedicated fitness studio, while other facilities such as toilets and dryside and wetside changing areas were also enhanced.

Members of Levenmouth area committee heard that it appears to have been money well spent, with the centre recording its highest throughput in five years and the gym seeing a 60% rise in attendances.

With the project completed in March 2019, a report to councillors suggested the attendances would have been far greater in 2019/20 if it hadn’t had to close during the pandemic.

The swimming pool and sports centre still managed to record over 190,000 visits.

Councillor Ken Caldwell. convener, welcomed the work done, and said he is looking forward to seeing how the venue can capitalise on the imminent return of rail services to the town at the end of 2023.

“These figures highlight the excellent work done by Fife Sports and Leisure Trust in line with the council to keep facilities up to standard,” he said.

“We’re well aware of the work, and the rate of return of customers after COVID is far exceeding what we were expecting.

“That’s a testament to the work that’s been done to improve the facilities and make customers feel safe.”

Councillors heard that the centre was closed due to COVID-19 from late March-September 2020, while further lockdown measures saw a further closure from December 2020 to late April 2021.

Restrictions in place from September 2020 to August 2021 also meant the main pool was restricted to up to 16 swimmers, when it normally can take over 100, while the gym was also limited to 14 users.

However, figures since then suggest the centre has seen a 92% recovery rate in the third quarter of 2021/22 compared to the previous year’s statistics.

Further work is being done on what the development of the railway terminal next to the centre will mean for the facility in terms of car parking and the need to possibly provide catering facilities.

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