Rainham's £24 million swimming centre replacement takes shape.

The new swim centre is on track to open in the summer of 2024.

Transcript

00:00 Today marks the middle for the construction of what will be one of the most expensive

00:04 developments paid for by Medway Council in recent years, coming in at a whopping £23.6

00:10 million. The once home for more than 30 years of water-tastic action, the Splashes Leisure

00:16 Centre was demolished in early 2022 after falling into disrepair. The demolition would

00:22 make way for what is said to become a brand new, state-of-the-art site, with two swimming

00:27 pools, a gym and a fitness centre. In its early days, the development was criticised

00:33 by Labour councillors for the sheer cost of the project.

00:36 I think what we're saying there is that Medway certainly needs swimming pools. For people

00:39 of Medway, we've got pools over in Strood and Gillingham, Rainham, fantastic if we can

00:44 have one, but we need to look at the cost.

00:46 But now they're in charge of the new administration, meaning it's Labour councillors who are left

00:50 to see how it will play out.

00:52 It's a sad story really when it first had to happen because the building was knocked

00:55 down, and in fact my own children learnt to swim here, so to see it back on its feet and

00:59 hit in this state is really exciting news.

01:01 I think the thing we're challenging with as far as the budget is all about the budgets

01:05 and the funding. If we can find the funding, we're in a good place, but that's our challenge

01:09 as a local authority. And we've come in and we're determined to meet that challenge and

01:13 find out what we can do.

01:14 It's unusual for a local authority to have so many leisure centres and pools, but we

01:19 are, don't forget, an amalgamation of several authorities that have come together over many

01:23 decades and we have what we have and we have to manage it as best we can.

01:26 Despite the cost on the public purse, the Splashes development is well on track to opening

01:31 next summer.

01:32 So the project down here for Splashes is going really well. It's been a challenging programme,

01:36 but something we set out and did the groundbreaking in March this year. We're halfway through

01:40 the project, we are on time. We'll be driving every day through to completion for opening

01:46 in summer '24.

01:48 Thirty years of activities, family fun and of course swimming took place here in Blaws

01:53 Lane, but now rising from the ground where it once stood is the next £24 million chapter

01:59 in the Splashes story and it's already taking shape.

02:03 And with things on track, today's topping out ceremony even gave those working here

02:07 on the project a chance to leave their mark in only the most Medway way possible.

02:11 Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Reynham.