Long Sutton Sports Centre (formerly the Peel Leisure Centre) is to close to the public, staff and users have been told today (Friday, January 2).
They have been given 30 days notice of the closure by the University Academy of Long Sutton (UALS), which owns the building.
A member of staff, who wished to remain anonymous, said staff were told by the school today that the reason they were given for closing to the public at the end of January was due to the rising costs of the bills not being covered by income.
There’s five members of permanent staff which doesn’t include various instructors and trainers that use the facilities.
Mr John Blake has run the U3A branch’s table tennis club at the centre for the last seven years and had booked up for the whole of 2026,
“We were told that we had 30 days before we had to find a new venue and to make sure we collect all the equipment before then,” he said. “It’s outrageous that an area like that around Long Sutton and Sutton Bridge won’t have a public leisure facility.”
Within hours of the news breaking a petition against the closure was set up.
It states: “This is devastating news for the numerous members, sports clubs and associations, and the wider community.
“We believe this decision has been made without due consideration of the wide negative impact this will have on the community, and urge the powers that be to reconsider, as we believe it is in everyone’s best interest to keep Long Sutton Sports Centre open and running.
“We are outraged at the lack of transparency surrounding this decision, and the extraordinarily quick turnaround for closure.
“Notice given on January 2 for closure on January 30 is unacceptable for a decision that has presumably been months in the making.
“This will leave many members, and in particular sports clubs, scrambling to find a replacement venue for their activities.
“The impact of this will be members being forced to travel much further afield and, in many cases, forced to pay a higher price for their activities.”
The Peele Leisure Centre was opened in 2006 and was leased to South Holland District Council until early 2025 when the company 3D Leisure took over operations.
It renamed the centre the Long Sutton Sports Centre last March and said in a statement then: “After the centres future was previously uncertain, we have worked closely with the management team at Long Sutton University Academy to ensure that the facilities will remain open for local community use throughout each weekday and at weekends, with no daytime closure as previously suggested.”
The Voice understands it’s the school’s decision to end public use of the facility. The UALS has been approached for a comment.
A rebuild of the school is currently being carried out and due to finish in 2026, though the planning application passed stated the sports centre buildings would be unaffected.
