It is almost time to dig out those swimming trunks and find your old goggles, as Fairfield Pool prepares to reopen its doors after almost two years.

It was a pillar of the Dartford community for more than 40 years until it closed in March last year, and work has been going on since then to develop it into a first class modern leisure centre.

We were taken inside for a sneak peek at what locals can expect when it returns to full operation in early 2016.

Senior building manager John Charlton is clearly pleased with the £12m development so far, proudly showing off additions and improvements from changing rooms and showers to studios and a new main reception.

“For us now it’s just about making sure we get it all right and everything works,” he said.

“The groundwork has all been done and we think it is going to be a great facility for people, we just need to make sure it’s all ready to go before we hand it over.”

The building looks fresh and modern, and houses an array of leisure and fitness equipment.

“We’ve got three studios so they can be hired out for different clubs and groups. The gym space is bigger with 110 stations and all the equipment will be new,” said Mr Charlton.

“The new sports hall has a walkway overlooking it, which lets people watch whatever’s going on in there. It also helps make the whole building feel connected, you can go from activity to activity really easily.”

Being accessible is one of the hallmarks of any centre designed with the community in mind, and Fairfield Pool looks set to deliver. Getting from the pool to the gym, and then to the sports hall or the on site cafe, is aided by a consistently bright, clean design.

Council leader Jeremy Kite is a big fan. “The building has been made a lot more modern, it looks like a private leisure club inside and the whole thing is designed to be light, bright and airy,” he said.

“There’s nothing worse than a building with lots of long corridors and no views, so there’s a real circular feel to the centre. We looked at how people want to get from one activity to another and that was really important to us.”

The new look is immediately apparent thanks to the main reception, which has been brought forward and doubled in height to make a more spacious and welcoming front.

Cllr Kite believes the work has added decades of life to the building.

“The pool has been a part of Dartford for about 30 years, but it was getting to the end of its life and so we took the decision to shut it and start again,” he said.

“We can get another 30 to 50 years use out of it now. It was in serious danger of being closed. We considered a new building and a new pool but it would have been expensive and people really like Fairfield.”

Although Cllr Kite is sorry for the delay in the project’s completion – it had been planned to open well before the end of this year until asbestos reared its head – he is convinced the new-look Fairfield will be worth the wait.

“We looked at this with a community eye rather than a commercial eye. We were really pleased with the quality of those who were interested in running the centre and we think we’ve made a good decision,” he said.

“I think people will be pleased with the pricing as well, although we’re not ready to announce that yet. It will provide a really nice background for our community and our town. I think people will love it.”

Naturally, much of the work has been done to the centre’s flagship swimming pool. The learner pool has been given a viewing area for parents and families to watch their children, while the main pool has a 3m diving platform and springboard.

There is also a poolside sauna. Cllr Kite believes the improvements to the pool area will prove crucial in attracting families back to the centre after so long away.

“The diving board being put back in will introduce a whole new market to people,” said Cllr Kite.

“We have improved the training pool, too. What we found was that there wasn’t a good place for parents and instructors to watch the kids, so there’s now places for them to sit by the pool."

"We have also massively upgraded the facilities for people with disabilities and people with special sporting needs. The shape of the pool is very good for that.”

The pool also has its own changing areas, separate from those for gym users. The rooms – like the pool itself – have been completely retiled. It’s all part of ensuring it is an attractive proposition for all, from serious fitness buffs to school groups and clubs.

“We really have designed it with high use users in mind from day one. We have gone for a place for serious fitness and a serious sense of community,” said Cllr Kite.

“The swimming club have been shown round and we spoke to them very early on. We don’t want regular users to have to go somewhere else to get what they need.”

“What’s actually quite frustrating is that a lot of the good work that has been done people won’t see! The engine room and the filters, everything downstairs and behind the scenes is quite expensive and it’s the part that nobody will see.”

Cllr Kite is determined to ensure traffic problems are not an obstacle to people enjoying the centre.

“A big frustration for people around Dartford is traffic so we’ve also improved the car park,” he said.

“It’s very important that people can park on site and not have to look elsewhere.”

Walking around the site, it’s hard not to be impressed. Fairfield Pool is the latest in a string of major renovations and building projects in Dartford, and Cllr Kite hopes the trend will continue.

“Our ethos is to invest in facilities,” he said.

“It’s expensive but you do it every 30 to 40 years and you improve the town and this project is a continuation of what we’re all about. Other councils take a more administrative role but we’re all about investment and development."

"You look at Hesketh Park Cricket Club and Princes Park and I think we have transformed the sporting landscape of Dartford. We’ve built the facilities and now it’s up to the people to use them.”

Fairfield Pool reopens early next year. Keep up to date with the development at dartford.gov.uk/fairfield.