Bosses at Dartford council are considering spending millions of pounds renovating and extending Fairfield Pool and Leisure Centre.

Although the Lowfield Street venue – which has about 1,000 members – is very popular, the council says the facilities do “not match modern customer expectations” and are “inefficient to manage and maintain”.

The council pumped £240,000 into refurbishing the changing rooms in 2011 but says further investment is required to provide the building with a long- term future.

A report before council leaders says: “This could be combined with an extensive refurbishment and extension, bringing most or all of the indoor sports and leisure provision under one roof in a format which meets modern customer expectations.”

A feasibility study by construction experts revealed the council would need to spend £2.8 million on the existing facilities at Fairfield Pool and nearby Acacia Fitness Centre in the High Street just to give them another 20 years of use.

In a bid to extend its use beyond that – and save money long-term – the study concluded a refurbishment and extension of Fairfield Pool would cost about £3.6 million.

However, for £5.4 million a more “comprehensive upgrade” could be achieved by bringing the facilities on offer at Acacia Fitness Centre under the same roof.

This would include a refurbished facility, new roof and windows, expansion and modernisation of the gym with its own dry-change area, a new sports hall, a café and soft play area and a double-height extension to the front of the building.

A team is expected to be assembled after tonight’s meeting to work on designs and costs before informing members of Dartford council’s cabinet in December.

If it goes ahead, the closure for works to begin could coincide with the end of the lease for the management company Parkwood Leisure, which expires on March 31, 2014.