A number of leisure centres are to close, be transferred into private ownership or redeveloped following a report by Wiltshire Council.

As it is, the council would have to spend £93m to maintain its existing 23 facilities over the next 25 years. This would not include any improvements or new facilities and, in the present financial climate, the council says this amount of money on simply maintaining the facilities is not sustainable.

The council carried out a review, which proposed looking at investing in new facilities and considering improving and refurbishing some of the centres with the aim of potentially devolving them to community groups or trusts with the council’s support.

In the review, the council states: "The current indoor leisure facility stock that the council inherited as a result of local government reorganisation is outdated, inefficient and unsustainable. The council would need to invest over £93m in the next 25 years, with an annual revenue cost of £3.1m, to simply hold the facilities at the current standards. This would not include facility enhancements or developments.

"This paper sets out proposals to implement a replacement, refurbishment and devolvement programme which requires a capital investment of £117m in the next 25 years. This would have an annual revenue cost of £4.9m and would: create three new facilities as part of wider campus developments; significantly enhance two further facilities; undertake planned maintenance investment in the remaining facilities; and devolve local leisure facilities to local communities."

In phase one of the scheme - between 2011 and 2015, the Christie Miller Sports Centre and Melksham Blue Pool will be closed, while Pewsey Sports Centre, Tisbury Leisure Centre, Lime Kiln, Springfield and Leighton Recreation Centre will be transferred. Leighton Indoor Bowls and Melksham Campus would be redeveloped/opened.

Phase two - 2015-2020 - will see Devizes Leisure Centre, Trowbridge Campus and Five Rivers Leisure Centre open/developed, Trowbridge Sports Centre and Castle Place close and Westbury Pool and Bradford Pool transferred.

The final phase, between 2021 and 2025, will see Warminster Campus and Amesbury/Durrington Campus open and Warminster and Amesbury/Durrington leisure centres shut.