Indoor sports facilities for Dover - have your say on plans for the future

A far reaching draft strategy looking at the provision of indoor sports facilities across the district has been published - and your views are sought in a consultation running from 18 March.

In July 2015, Dover District Council appointed a team led by The Sports Consultancy to review indoor sports provision to see if the area has the right facilities in the right places. An Indoor Sports Facility Strategy for the whole district has now been drawn up, and was presented to Cabinet last week.

The Indoor Sports Facility Strategy is designed to help guide future decisions for the district, and highlights the importance of accessible indoor facilities for healthy living. It focuses on sports halls, indoor swimming pools, health and fitness suites, indoor bowls, tennis courts, squash courts, gymnastics and dance/aerobic studios.

The strategy will help to underpin further detailed work on Dover Leisure Centre. This follows an initial Feasibility and Options Appraisal Study on the future of Dover Leisure Centre that was presented to Cabinet in January.

Cllr Trevor Bartlett, DDC Cabinet Member for Property Management said: "We continue to work to provide accessible and affordable leisure facilities across the district. This key strategy aims to provide a clear understanding of the current and future needs of our communities, and will help to direct future investment. We hope as many people as possible will take the opportunity to have their say."

The consultation runs from 18 March to 6 May 2016. More information will be available on the DDC website from 18 March at www.dover.gov.uk/indoorsportsfacilitystrategy.