THE eagerly-anticipated opening of ‘The Portal’ - Irvine’s new Leisure, Cultural and Community Centre - has been confirmed for early 2017.
North Ayrshire Council’s Cabinet are set to agree plans to open The Portal to the public on Friday 27 January 2017.
At a meeting on Tuesday, councillors will learn how there will be a phased and measured closure of the Magnum to minimise disruption to KA Leisure members and the public.
The Magnum will close to the public on Friday 30 December but fitness activity for KA Leisure members only will continue there until Thursday 26 January, as will the ‘Learn to Swim’ swimming lesson programme.
Meanwhile, football and some indoor sports will be transferred to Greenwood Campus and Almswall Park during this period where possible. (December 30 to January 26).
While there will be no public swimming at the Magnum from December 30, casual swimmers will have the opportunity to use any other KA Leisure pool free of charge during this period.
Vouchers for these free sessions will be given out to casual swimmers at the Magnum pool between Thursday 1 December and Friday 30 December and the vouchers will be valid from Tuesday 3 January until Thursday 26 January 2017 (terms and conditions apply)
KA Leisure staff will undergo extensive training at The Portal to help them familiarise themselves with the brand new leisure and cultural centre which will include:
A 25m x 6 lane swimming pool and a teaching/warm up pool with changing facilities and spectator seating
A six court multi-use sports hall for all indoor sports
Community facilities
Fitness suite and multi-use studios
Café
The historic Town House
Cultural and tourist information including local places of interest, heritage trails, festivals and event.
Information on genealogy, local and family history
A venue for wedding ceremonies, civic functions, artists in residence, exhibitions and performances.
Robust testing will be carried out at the new centre and systems will be put in place to ensure it is fully operational for the public on 27 January.
A programme of gym and fitness inductions for KA Leisure members will be held at the Portal before the public opening on 27 January.
The cultural element of the new centre will be contained in the adjoining Townhouse, which has also undergone major refurbishment work in recent months.
Councillor Louise McPhater, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “These are really exciting times for Irvine and we hope that these arrangements will allow for a smooth transition for staff, KA Leisure members and, of course, the general public.
“The perfect scenario would have been to close the Magnum to the public one day and open the Portal the next day, but this was simply not achievable due to the scale of both operations – including the need for staff training and testing of new systems.
“What this approach will do is give us time for training and familiarisation to ensure this amazing new facility is ready for its opening on 27 January and flourishes from day one.
“We are sure it will prove hugely popular. It is a stunning facility that we are all incredibly proud of. We can’t wait to share it with everyone.”
The Cabinet members will also be notified of the proposals for Garnock Swimming Pool and Leisure Suite to close on Friday December 16 to help facilitate the move to the new Garnock Community Campus.
The new £40 million joint school, community and leisure campus will open early in the new year and will serve the Garnock Valley’s three main towns - Kilbirnie, Beith and Dalry - bringing together pupils who currently attend Garnock Academy, Glengarnock Primary School and Glengarnock Early Years Centre.
The new state-of-the-art Garnock Campus is due to be completed by December 2016 and KA Leisure will run a high quality six-lane swimming pool leisure facility to replace the Garnock Pool as well as a synthetic pitch suitable for rugby and football.
The leisure part of the new development is scheduled to open on Saturday 21 January.