Changing village at Arun Leisure Centre officially opened

The changing rooms date back to when the swimming pool, on Felpham Way, was built and needed some major modernisation.

Since then, extensive renovations have been made to the male and female changing rooms to turn them into a changing village area, and the space now offers changing cubicles varying in size from individual to family. The toilet, shower area and poolside changing rooms have also been updated.

Alongside all this, the project also includes several energy efficiency improvements; the volume of air which needs to be heated and cooled has been reduced, LED lamps have been introduced, and the space now benefits from the option to install photovoltaic panels, which can be extended at a later date with additional panels.

On top of all this, a Changing Places Toilet has also been introduced. This is a larger-than-normal toilet with additional features, designed to assist those with additional needs to use the space with comfort and ease. Additional features of a Changing Places Toilets include: height adjustable changing bed, a peninsular toilet, which has space either side for a wheelchair or carer, adjustable sink, accessible shower and a celling hoist.

On top of all this, there is also a new foyer area, where customers are asked to sit and remove their footwear before entering their changing rooms to help keep the new facilities clean.

Councillor Carol Birch, Chair of the Housing and Wellbeing Committee at Arun District Council, said: “It is fantastic to see the new changing rooms completed and open to the public. We were very pleased to be able to include a Changing Places toilet, which will make the popular leisure centre accessible for all. I’m also delighted that the improvements include a raft of energy efficiency improvements as part of our commitment to tackling climate change."

Matt Eden, Freedom Leisure’s Arun Area Manager, added: “We are delighted the changing village and family changing rooms are now complete and open to the public, knowing it will transform the customer experience. With the addition of the Changing Places toilet facilities, we really look forward to welcoming those who may have had accessibility issues previously but can join us and fulfil our goal of improving lives through leisure.”