£23m renovation of North Yorkshire leisure centre nears completion
The lower ground floor of the Jack Laugher Centre will open in September
The £23 million refurbishment of the Jack Laugher Centre in Ripon is nearly finished.
Initial plans to refurbish the centre were delayed in 2019 after a void was discovered.
The project is now approaching completion with the renovated lower ground floor to reopen in September, with a full fitness class programme to be available to customers in brand new exercise studios.
Executive member for leisure services, Council Simon Myers, said: “This is fantastic news for communities who will soon have full access to these high-quality, modern facilities that we hope will enhance users’ health and wellbeing.
“Everyone has shown amazing patience while these crucial ground stabilisation works have been completed and I would like to thank residents for their cooperation throughout.
“From the outset, we wanted the leisure centre in Ripon to be brought in line with our other Active North Yorkshire facilities in neighbouring towns – offering a wide range of options and opportunities for people wanting to become more active.
“We are delighted that this long-running project is reaching its conclusion, and we are all looking forward to the full reopening of the centre later this year.”
“This has been a challenging scheme, but it is one we committed to as it ensures a vital facility will continue to be available for the benefit of residents of Ripon and beyond.
“We are promoting health and wellbeing for our communities with the launch of Active North Yorkshire, which will mean that all of our leisure centres are managed by ourselves to ensure that there is a coordinated approach for our service across the whole of the county for the first time.”
The refurbishment of the lower ground floor space, which will include a state-of-the-art dedicated cycling studio, two group exercise studios, a sports hall, new changing rooms and a meeting room, are all expected to be completed in September.
Group fitness classes that have temporarily run from Hugh Ripley Hall will also return into the leisure centre.