LDRSGirvan’s Quay Zone leisure centre is on track to reopen early next year after being forced to close due to severe storm damage in January 2024.
And it is expected that an extension will be complete by March next year.
The facility, operated by South Carrick Community Leisure (SCCL) under a 40-year lease from South Ayrshire Council, was left uninhabitable after Storm Isha and subsequent stormy weather caused major water ingress.
Since then, services have been delivered from temporary locations in Maybole and Girvan to keep the community’s swimming, gym, and fitness programmes running.
Within a month of the closure, SCCL negotiated a temporary lease for the recently vacated Maybole Swimming Pool, allowing general and lane swimming, Aquafit, and a Learn to Swim programme to continue.
A temporary gym was set up in Girvan Community Centre in July 2024, offering a full range of equipment and a limited schedule of fitness classes.
School swimming lessons were also maintained thanks to funding from Carrick Futures, the Tralorg Community Benefit Fund, and Girvan and South Carrick Local Place Plan funding.
In 2025, 289 local pupils took part, up from 242 in 2024, with Girvan Primary joining the programme for the first time since the closure.
The report to South Ayrshire Council’s Services and Partnerships Performance Panel stated that, prior to the storm, the Quay Zone was on course for a post-Covid recovery year, with income expected to be 7.5 per cent higher than the previous year.
While the closure resulted in trading losses, the facility should not lose out overall, with insurance payments expected to bring the 2024–25 accounts to a balanced position.
Repair work, managed by the council’s design and asset teams alongside insurers, is expected to return the pool, gym, and studio spaces to SCCL by the end of December 2025. ,
An extension, due for completion in March 2026, will expand the café, add meeting and function space, and create a balcony with views of Ailsa Craig and Woodlands Bay.
SCCL General Manager, Peter Linton, praised staff for their flexibility and commitment in maintaining services over the past 18 months, despite operational challenges with older facilities and staffing logistics.
Councillors on the Service and Partnerships Performance Panel will scrutinise the update at their meeting on August 20.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
