Mid and East Antrim leisure centres to close as restrictions tighten

On Wednesday, the Executive announced a month-long range of measures aimed at tackling the spread of the virus, including a ban on indoor sport involving the mixing of households, as well as the cessation for four weeks of fitness classes.

It also said no unnecessary travel should be undertaken when the new restrictions come into effect today (Friday), which the council says has been key to its decision-making when considering which services should temporarily close.

Following two emergency meetings of the local authority’s group party leaders, the decision has been taken to shut Ballymena’s Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Larne Leisure Centre and Carrickfergus Amphitheatre from this evening.

The latest Executive guidance enables pools and gyms to remain open, but this is only in the context of individual training sessions and does not permit group sessions or the mixing of households.

Mid and East Antrim Council stated is therefore not financially viable to provide these two services given the poor level of uptake to date since reopening (read here), coupled with the high running costs of ensuring appropriate levels of staffing and safety measures required to protect the public and staff.

The Ladybirds group will still have access to the Seven Towers to provide childcare.

The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Peter Johnston, said: “The health and wellbeing of our community and staff has been absolutely paramount to Council throughout the pandemic and this continues to be the case as we move into the four-week period of restrictions.

“Despite strong promotion, the numbers of residents using our leisure centres since reopening remains extremely low, reflecting decreased public appetite for these services at this current time.

“For example, the average number of people attending the gym each hour has been two in Seven Towers, four in Larne and up to 13 in the Amphitheatre.

“We have a duty, which is more pressing than ever, to protect ratepayers’ money, and this is why we have taken the decision to close these facilities for this short period of time, and their closure will also help suppress the spread of the virus.

“We recognise the decisions taken by Council will inconvenience a number of our citizens, but we must do all we can to protect the health and wellbeing of users and staff, and our finances during this crisis. We thank our citizens for their understanding and patience as we all work together to overcome this virus, which has caused such huge disruption to our daily lives and devastated so many.

“We will continue to work closely with our community, our businesses and our partners to do all we can to support them over the weeks and months ahead.”

The very latest information on council services can be found on its social media channels and website: www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk