Folkestone Sports Centre: The Latest On The Refurbishment

Over the coming weeks and months, we are committing to sharing a programme of the work taking place and a more thorough timeline regarding Folkestone Sports Centre. These updates will be released on or around the end of every month.

Due to break ins, vandalism and damage we have had to revisit different aspects of the project and revisit previous timelines. This new schedule is nearly complete and will be shared in one of our future releases.

We have always wanted our updates to be meaningful and substantial, rather than simply providing information for the sake of an update. That is why we have waited until individual elements of the project are sufficiently progressed and confirmed before sharing them publicly.

But be assured that works have been continuing in the meantime to reduce the programme timeline wherever possible, especially around the pool.

As always, thank you for your patience, care and continued support.

The Swimming Pool

One of our biggest priorities from the outset has been the swimming pool. As soon as the site was ready, work began to modernise the pool and its plant room, with the aim of returning a high-quality swimming facility to the community for many years to come.

The pool work is well underway and the timeline for the completion of this work will be released in one of future updates.

The existing plant room equipment was old and had deteriorated significantly. Our pool contractors have been on site since April 2026, and significant progress has already been made. The old plant equipment has been removed and replaced with new pumps, water tanks and filtration equipment, representing a significan investment.

Work has also been taking place on the pool tiles and surrounding structure to ensure the facility is not only brought back into use, but is fit for the future.

We will shortly be sharing artist impressions of the new changing village, alongside more information about the improvements being made throughout this part of the centre.

The New Entrance

Another major change will be the creation of a new entrance to Folkestone Sports Centre.

Mark Chapman, Project Manager for Folkestone Sports Centre said;

“In order to make the centre as accessible as possible for every user, we took the decision to relocate the entrance. This will improve access to all users and improve visitor journeys throughout the building. This is a substantial change that reiterates our commitment to not just reopening Folkestone Sports Centre but improving it for everybody.”

“The new entrance will be on the same level as the swimming pool meaning easier access to the changing village, the main pool and the small pool. It was also move the entrance nearer to the large car park to the rear of the building improving access further.”

The new entrance will help create a more welcoming and accessible arrival point for visitors, while also supporting the wider plans for the centre and its surrounding facilities.

We look forward to showing you more of this exciting part of the project soon.

The Sports Hall

When the initial break-ins took place, there was significant damage to the Sports Hall. There was an intentional blockage made in the sinks adjacent to the sports hall and the taps left running. This caused major flooding that has damaged the wood flooring. We are still establishing the extent of the damage as we fear it may be worse than we first imagined.

The damage has resulted in £60k+ of unexpected repairs that we hadn’t initially scheduled and thus has impacted other works that have added to unprecedented delays.

A further update on the sports hall will be released alongside other updates.

An Update on the Timeline

In previous updates, we explained that the centre was affected by a number of break-ins, which caused extensive damage and inevitably delayed elements of the project. Thanks to the efforts of our partners and the team working on site, we have been able to minimise the wider disruption. However, the impact on the swimming pool was significant.

Following one of the break-ins, smashed glass entered the pool water. The pool had to be emptied to prevent the glass from damaging the newly installed equipment. This was an unforeseen issue and has added further time to the project.

Unfortunately, this was completely outside of our control and the impact of the damage has affected the project in more ways than we initially anticipated.

We will provide a further update on the opening schedule as soon as we are able to do so.

Our priority remains doing the job properly and making sure that when the doors reopen, the facilities are ready to serve the community for many years to come.

More Updates Coming Soon

This is just the beginning of a series of updates about the future of Folkestone Sports Centre.

Over the coming weeks and months we are committing to more regular updates, we will be sharing:

• More artist impressions of the finished centre
• A further update on the opening schedule
• Progress on the external facilities
• An update on the plans for The Sports Hall
• Exciting new partnership opportunities
• Before-and-after images showing the transformation
• Details of opportunities for the public to view the centre

We know how much the community wants to see the centre open again. We are excited to be able to show you the progress that is being made and, ultimately, welcome you back through the doors.

Thank you for continuing to believe in the future of Folkestone Sports Centre.

Our feedback and comments form is still open if you would like to leave us a message. Folkestone Sports Centre Feedback Form – Fill in form