Project Overview

The Citadel Leisure Centre, located at the heart of South Ayrshire, has served as a vital hub for community health, fitness, and leisure for decades. Despite its long-standing contribution to community wellbeing, the Centre faces challenges related to ageing infrastructure, evolving community needs, and financial sustainability.

South Ayrshire Council worked with independent advisors Alliance Leisure, the Leisure Database, and Integratis Consulting to create an up-to-date picture of the local community demographics. Their report focused on the current utilisation of the facility, the commercial opportunity available and recommendations of new

spaces and activities the community would benefit from to design a facility that provides significant new social value to South Ayrshire and beyond.

The review echoed staff and customer feedback and highlighted a need for more family-friendly activities and a rising demand for facilities and programs that cater to the health, wellness, and social needs of adults.

The transformation of the Citadel also allows the redesign to align with the Vision ad Mission at the heart of the Physical Activity and Sport Strategy for South Ayrshire:

Our Vision

South Ayrshire – where everyone is healthy, happy and active throughout their lives.

Our Mission

Enabling people in South Ayrshire to lead active, healthy and happy lives so they can grow well, live well and age well.

The Roof & Exterior

The initial phase of the work is to replace a section of the existing roof to address water ingress. This will enhance the roof’s thermal performance and the overall energy efficiency of the building.

The planned exterior work includes renewal of some of the glazing around the centre and brickwork repairs.

The Main Hall

The existing main hall will undergo a significant transformation; it will form a new activity hub, as well as lending floorspace to the gym expansion, ensuring these core elements are located together in the heart of the venue and directly accessible from the new entrance reception and cafe.

It will provide a destination for local families and day-trippers to be active, book group activities, and generally spend quality active time together. This new activity hub will serve as a sustainable revenue stream for the facility through the transformation of a large existing under-utilised area of the building. This change will mean that court sports currently held in the Citadel will be relocated. You can find out more about this in our FAQs.

The Cafe

Excitingly, refurbishment plans include the creation of a brand-new café and co-working space designed to create a more social and welcoming environment. This area will serve not only as a place for refreshments but also as a community hub where people can relax, work, or meet with others.

The updated café is a part of the overhaul of the facility entry upgrades, providing a more obvious entry and improving customer journey through the building. The new entry hall is expected to make the Citadel better fulfil its role as community hub for the local area.