Folkestone & Hythe District Council will meet on 11 February 2026 to consider a proposed £2.4 million capital grant that could allow the Folkestone Sports Centre pool in Kent to reopen by summer 2026. The funding would be used to carry out repairs to the swimming pool, plant machinery and reception areas at the Radnor Park Avenue site.
The site was acquired in 2025 by The Sports Trust, a local charity that runs other Folkestone facilities, with financial backing from the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust after outbidding housing developers. If the grant is approved, the council papers say part of the money would also pay for the installation of solar panels to help reduce energy costs and improve the building’s environmental performance.
Local swimmers and clubs have had to travel to other towns for practice since the centre shut in July 2024. Restoring the pool would return a key local facility and cut the need for long trips to neighbouring towns such as Dover or Ashford, where many groups have been training since the closure.
The centre closed in July 2024 after the charitable trust that ran it said it could no longer afford to operate following a reported c.£250,000 rise in energy costs; 144 staff lost their jobs when it shut. The Sports Trust and the council say that by replacing obsolete pool plant (filtration and heating) and carrying out building repairs, the 54-year-old building (opened in 1972) can be made sustainable and kept in community use for years to come.
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