Crystal Leisure Centre open for swimmers after revamp
The 25-metre swimming pool at Stourbridge’s Crystal Leisure Centre has re-opened following a £3.7m programme of eye-catching improvement works to the swimming pools and changing rooms.
The slides in the leisure pool, a popular draw for youngsters, have undergone a tropical revamp – with a talented local artist painting fish and other sea creatures along the inside – alongside a complete refurbishment of the popular wave machine.
The changing rooms have been demolished and completely remodelled, with both the leisure pool and the 25m pool drained, repaired, cleaned and refilled.
It comes as improvement works by Speller Metcalfe are also continuing at Halesowen Leisure Centre, which is part of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council’s programme to improve leisure facilities in the area.
Councillor Simon Phipps, cabinet member responsible for leisure centres, said: “It’s fantastic to see the 25-metre pool back open at Crystal – I had the chance to have a look around and I must say the contractors have done a first-class job.
“As a Council, we are committed to providing the best possible leisure facilities we can for borough residents, and following a lot of feedback from users and the local community, we hope people will like what we have done when they come back into Crystal.”
Halesowen is in-line for a new look entrance, adventure play area and café. There will also be major changes to the swimming pool to cater for learner and advanced swimmers. The plans also include new ‘village style’ changing rooms, pool-side viewing area and a state-of-the-art fitness suite.
The works at Crystal Leisure Centre are part of a wider multi-million pound leisure regeneration programme procured through the UK Leisure Framework, developed and managed by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd, which has seen Alliance Leisure work with Speller Metcalfe, to deliver the project.
Councillor Phipps continued: “With improvements also ongoing at Halesowen Leisure Centre, and work progressing really quickly on the new centre in Dudley, we are overseeing the biggest spend on leisure services in decades and will soon have facilities in our borough that we can all be proud of.”
