Satisfaction is guaranteed for customers using the newly refurbished Belfast Indoor Tennis Arena and Ozone Leisure Complex which has re-opened after a £200,000 refurbishment by Belfast City Council.
Customer input was at the forefront of the improvements undertaken which include the upgrading of the tennis arena floor to competition standard, new court lighting, better signage, repainting of the climbing wall and exterior wall of the Laser Quest and new routes on the climbing wall.
The official re-opening marks the first refurbishment of leisure facilities in partnership with the social enterprise GLL (Greenwich Leisure Ltd) which is now responsible for operating Belfast’s leisure centres.
Deputy Chairman of the Parks and Leisure Committee, Caoimhín Mac Giolla Mhín, and GLL Divisional Director of Better, Gareth Kirk, officially re-opened the Ozone complex with a range of users including school children, seniors and disabled athletes enjoying the new high quality facilities.
Councillor Mac Giolla Mhín said: “It is good to see this refurbishment project completed. We are also pushing ahead with the council’s £105million Leisure Transformation Programme to create modern high quality facilities across the city. This summer will see the opening of new facilities at Girdwood and the brand new Olympia Leisure Centre will be open for business next year, to be followed with new state of the art facilities at Andersonstown Leisure Centre as well.
“We are determined to provide state of the art facilities that will encourage people to become more active more regularly which is why all the work is being carried out in consultation with local communities and sporting groups.
“We have listened to the concerns of users at the Ozone and responded accordingly by improving the facilities to provide the best service possible and I look forward to them enjoying the improvements,” said the councillor.
Divisional Director of GLL, Gareth Kirk, said “The tennis courts can now accommodate level 2 ITF events and the enhanced lighting system utilises current best practice for energy efficiency. The refurbishment was linked to feedback from customers and tennis governing bodies.
“The completed works will afford a more varied approach to tennis coaching and the new routes on the climbing wall offer new challenges for users.
“We are also hoping to attract new users with exciting Better courses to encourage more participation. The Ozone is already a popular venue and we hope these improvements will boost that,” added Gareth.