Ely’s new leisure centre saw a 17 per cent rise in attendance from June to July – with three quarters of visitors using the swimming pool.

The figures are contained in a report to the community services committee of East Cambridgeshire District Council by senior leisure services officer Victor Le Grand.

The Hive has been operating for a little over three months from May and monthly usage increased from 21,400 visits in June to 25,100 in July.

Mr Le Grand says there remains “some building snags and defects, mostly minor” which have been logged with the contractor GLL.

“User feedback to the new facility has in general been highly positive,” he said.

Issues raised so far include some dissatisfaction at the constraints of the teaching pool and Mr Le Grand says this has been accentuated by the competing demands of balancing teaching and casual usage over the holiday period.

He says the specification of the pool reflects Sport England design guidance and industry best practice “but the user concerns have been noted and officers will work with GLL to make best of the available water space”.

The leisure officer says service quality has not yet reached the level of consistency the council should expect – for example in respect of cleaning. He says GLL are aware of this “and they are changing the staff rotas and seeking to engage a cleaning contractor to address the issues”.

Mr Le Grand says there have also been “some points of ambiguity” around pricing with some members finding the membership procedure difficult to navigate.

“GLL has assured us that a member of staff – usually one of the management team- is always available to help users at the touch screens and to address any queries at reception,” he said.

“Again however officers are monitoring and responding to concerns and inquiries as they arise.”

The Hive Leisure Centre is a brand new modern leisure centre located in Ely Leisure Village, East Cambridgeshire.

Facilities include an eight-lane 25m swimming pool, a teaching pool with moveable floor, a large top-of-the-range 140-station gym fully-equipped with the latest technogym fitness kit, two fitness class studios, a four-court sports hall and an outdoor 3G artificial grass pitch.

The project has been funded by East Cambridgeshire District Council with the help of a £1.5m lottery grant from Sport England.