An indoor running track is to become a makeshift gym after a year-long closure of a nearby leisure centre was confirmed.

Ashford Borough Council (ABC) agreed to shut the Stour Centre until mid-2021 for a £6.5m refurbishment last week, causing 115 job losses.

The decision sparked controversy due to a lack of public consultation and has left members of the site's gym without a place to train.

But now the Ashford Leisure Trust is working to convert the indoor running track at the town's Julie Rose Stadium into a temporary gym.

The indoor facility in Willesborough Road is usually hired out for bootfairs, sports club training sessions and children's parties.

But the trust says it is now "working very hard" to move equipment into the space at the stadium, which already has its own gym.

In a statement, it said: "The fitness provision is being extended at the Julie Rose Stadium and we are currently preparing to transform the indoor running track into a gym.

"This is a significant project and we are working very hard to complete it as soon as possible."

The trust thanked residents for their support of the Stour Centre, which was last redeveloped in the mid-2000s when £17m was spent on the site.

It added: "As you may be aware the proposal by ABC to keep the Stour Centre closed and bring forward the capital investment project has been agreed.

"We therefore confirm that we will not be reopening the Stour Centre from Saturday (July 25), as now permitted by the government.

"We would like to say a huge thank you to all of our staff and customers for the support over the years; you have helped make the Stour Centre such a success.

"We are in the process of contacting all of our customers regarding outstanding refunds that are due."

Ashford MP Damian Green says it is not the first time the Julie Rose has been used during a closure of the Stour Centre.

"Obviously I hugely regret the redundancies and I hope a lot of them will be holding things like swimming or personal training elsewhere in the meantime," he said.

"I remember the last time the centre was closed efforts were taken to continue swimming lessons and the like at the Julie Rose and other locations."

When asked whether the closure be detrimental to the sporting life of Ashford, he said: "I hope not, there are facilities around the place that may not be as convenient as the Stour but they are there.

"In the long run this renovation work means we'll have better facilities - it's unfortunate but we have to keep things like sports centres up to date or they become old and tired.

"But I understand it's a difficult time to be in the industry."

The controversial decision to close the site replaces an alternative option, which ABC says would have extended the work timeline by nine months but would have allowed continued public use of the facilities.

As part of the works, a climbing wall and new pool features installed, while gym facilities will also be extended and changing rooms revamped.

But Unison’s south east regional organiser Mark Hammond described the decision as “very disappointing”.

“We still think everyone’s going to lose out here,” the trade union representative said.

“The customers will lose out because it’ll be shut, our members because they’ll lose their jobs and the local community because there’ll be less spending power in the area due to less spending money and fewer jobs.

“This is a Conservative council and chancellor Rishi Sunak’s been quite clear and quite strong in saying there shouldn’t be any unnecessary redundancies - well these are just inconvenient for everyone.

“There was no public consultation on this and staff have been very much kept in the dark until the proposals came out.

“We thought it might be a bit brighter for them after lockdown but that’s all gone.

“It’s just unnecessary, I can understand the council’s rationale but we just don’t agree with it - it’s damaging to the wider community and our members.

“You have all that experience from all those staff being laid off.

"They’ve been thrown out of jobs and left to fend for themselves.

"They are looking for jobs and there’s no guarantee they’ll be there.

“There’s a chance you lay people off and they aren’t there when you need them again in a year’s time - they’ll have found different work perhaps in a new sector.

“So all the training that’s been invested in those people will just be gone.”

He also railed against a petition against the closure of the centre being “ignored”, saying the council has gone against the wishes of the people of Ashford.

Last week, ABC said it was "aware of the petition".

From September 1, Freedom Leisure will take over the day-to-day running of the Stour Centre, Julie Rose Stadium, Conningbrook Lakes and Spearpoint Recreation Ground pavilion, football pitches and tennis courts from September 1.

As part of the new arrangements, bosses say Ashford Leisure Trust will step back from the future management and will now focus on "improving the health and wellbeing of the residents of Ashford".

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