Four potential ‘serious’ investors for Kettering Leisure Village could offer rescue bid hope as closure deadline looms

Residents working to save Kettering Conference Centre – known as Kettering Leisure Village (KLV) – from closure have revealed they have been in direct talks with the owners to find a solution.

The huge leisure complex which opened in 1993 – incorporating The Lighthouse Theatre, Balance Health Club and Arena Sports Centre – is due to close on July 3 unless someone steps in.

Members of The KLV Support Group Core Team – a consortium of local people – have been meeting with North Northants Council (NNC) who have been trying to broker a deal to save the facility.

NNC leases KLV from BQ Farms, paying a £1 annual peppercorn rent, an arrangement which was inherited from their predecessor authority, Kettering Borough Council.

The council has a contractual arrangement with Phoenix Leisure, which further sublet KLV to Compass Group Services, which made the closure decision. They said costs had increased significantly and that it was no longer financially viable.

Jack Macdonald-Lucas, spokesman for KLV Support Group, said: “We have now had two meetings with North Northants Council which has, so far, resulted in very little progress being made.

“Whilst we left the first meeting feeling reasonably positive, despite repeated requests for information from footfall data to accounting/financial figures, leases and agreements etc, to enable us to progress with our plans, we have received nothing.

“We have however, now obtained the various leases by applying and paying for them ourselves, these are currently being studied in depth.

“NNC have continually told us of more meetings with both Phoenix and Compass but we have not been party to the results of those meetings, only of the legal complexity of the KLV situation.

“We did ask NNC for our details to be passed to Phoenix and it appears this has been done. Having already made formal contact, we are now awaiting a further call from Phoenix.

“We have also been contacted by four separate, and serious, potential investors and are in the process of connecting these up directly with Phoenix together with our community-based vision incorporating both the short, and long term, future of KLV.”

A survey by KLV Support Group of 375 respondents showed 38 per cent wanted to see the centre become a council-operated facility, another 30 per cent preferred a joint community-private venture.

Asked in the same poll 33 small business owners said the closure of the centre would impact their business in some way with 60 per cent saying the impact would be ‘permanent’.

KLV Support Group said: “We were especially interested in how more vulnerable groups of people would be affected – older people, carers (those who care for an adult), and disabled and neurodivergent people. Our data shows that these groups would be hit hard by the loss of KLV, with the potential for increased strain on other services as individuals lose outlets for stress and ways to maintain their physical well-being.”

All NNC councillors will be asked to support KLV at a full council meeting to held tomorrow (Thursday) when a motion proposed by Cllr Jim Hakewill (Ind) and seconded by Cllr Keli Watts (Lab) will be put to all 78 members.

A protest has been planned with KLV supporters making their feelings known before the meeting at The Corby Cube that starts at 6pm.

Mr Macdonald-Lucas said: "We are frustrated with the current situation, however we must remain optimistic until such time as an announcement either way is made officially.

"We feel NNC should be more open with the public, time is so short as we are now 12 days away from July 3.

“It is very disappointing... the clock continues to tick away with July 3 looming ever closer and due to the lack of decision huge revenue has already been lost through cancellations across the site, plus staff, instructors and members are being forced to leave to find alternative employment.

“Kettering is the third largest town in Northamptonshire, not including the borough, and advertised as having ‘huge investment potential’ due to its growth, yet these facts seem to have been totally ignored. The loss of cultural capital/revenue for the town and borough is enormous.

“The community is being asked to come along and show what this means to the whole community. This space is well loved and needs the community to help breathe life back into it.”

The survey conducted by the KLV Support Group received more than 400 responses within the first five days of the survey's launch, with participation now reaching 526.