Hello,
Firstly, I hope this finds you and yours safe and well and looking forward to a relaxing and enjoyable festive season.
As many of you will be aware we have, for some time, been experiencing problems with the air handling system in the swimming pools at Sevenoaks Leisure Centre. This has made it difficult to control comfort levels, something that becomes even more of a challenge as the weather gets colder.
We’ve been in talks with Sevenoaks District Council who, as you know own the building, for some time and I am pleased they have now agreed to address the problem as part of their asset maintenance responsibilities. They have secured a contractor and will replace the old system.
Whilst we appreciate there is no good time to close parts of any leisure centre, we’ve looked closely at how a major piece of work such as this can be carried out with the least disruption to our customers.
Christmas is our quietest time of the year, as it is for the entire leisure and fitness industry, so the pools will be closed between December 13 and January 1 inclusive. Swimming lessons will also have to cease one week earlier than scheduled.
To have delayed would have meant greater disruption as we enter the busy New Year period – and may have put additional strain on an old system that’s become increasingly unfit for purpose, especially with the plummeting temperatures of the past week.
We also wanted to choose a time when customers could - should they choose and assuming it’s convenient- swim at one of our other facilities. And, with White Oak Leisure Centre closing on January 9 (and the new centre not opening until February 12), we didn’t want to leave the wider community with only one available pool (at Edenbridge).
These essential works will enable us to control humidity and keeping air temperature at correct levels to help reduce condensation. This will vastly improve the overall swimming experience for customers of all ages, especially for babies and small toddlers in the teaching pool who’ve had to contend with conditions being colder than is ideal.
As I said, your membership will allow you to swim at White Oak and Edenbridge leisure centres during this short period of closure. You can find timetables on our website at the links below.
I hope you will appreciate we’ve made the decision around timing to cause the least disruption and to get these essential works completed as swiftly as possible.
Thank you – and best wishes.
Jane Parish
Chief Executive
Sencio Community Leisure
