WORK is set to start in April on a £335,000 project to improve Dalgety Bay Sports and Leisure Centre.

The gym will be extended while a multi-purpose room and a new fitness/ aerobic studio will be created to maximise the space available. It’s set to take six months and the disruption will lead to some closures while work takes place.

Fife Council confirmed funding of £250,000 last week while Fife Sports and Leisure Trust has £85,000 for new gym equipment.

Convener of the community and housing services committee, Councillor Judy Hamilton, said: “Despite financial challenges, it’s important that the council continues to make investments where required.”

The current gym is located on the ground floor and has 26 stations – 13 pieces of cardio and 13 pieces of resistance equipment – and 25 more will be added when it is extended.

The new studio will help the centre accommodate an additional 10 classes per week.

A contractor is expected to be appointed next month, with work starting in April and finishing in October Paul Vaughan, the council’s head of communities and neighbourhoods, said: “There is a risk that construction costs could increase if delays are incurred in awarding the contract for the programmed works for the project.”

He added that a high-performance strength and conditioning area, cardiovascular equipment, weights, a training area and dedicated studio will “benefit existing users and also attract new customers”.

The trust has operated the centre on behalf of the council since 2008 and it has become a “very popular” venue with an average of 165,000 visits per year.

The reconfiguration is to meet increasing demand with its Leisure Active membership expected to increase by more than 200 after the work is completed. The trust believe the work will lead to an additional 8,000 visits per year.

Chief executive Ed Watson said: “This additional investment by Fife Council is very welcome and helps the trust deliver its commitment to provide high-quality, affordable access to physical opportunities for the local communities of Fife.”

The council’s cash comes from the £10 million set aside in the capital plan 2017-27 for improving health through leisure and sport. It follows on from the trust’s £1.1m investment last year to refit 11 gyms across their Fife centres, including Carnegie and Duloch in Dunfermline.