A RECREATION centre in Baildon which was badly damaged by December’s floods is to fully-reopen shortly following extensive repairs and refurbishment.

Groups that use Baildon Recreation Centre have already moved back into the upper floor, and within a few weeks it is expected that the ground floor will also be ready following redecoration.

The much-used building on Green Lane, beside the River Aire, has been closed since Boxing Day when flood water as high as 2.8 metres caused extensive damage.

As well as the essential repairs, the building has also been modified to make it more flood-resilient in future.

The boiler and electrics have been moved to the upper floor and new door materials have been used to prevent warping.

Groups such as the Peace Dance Academy and Shipley Model Railway Society regularly use the building.

Catherine Peace, of the dance academy, set up in 2007, said they would be returning to the recreation centre next month, after setting up home elsewhere for the last two terms. She said: “We are really looking forward to returning to the recreation centre. The activity room we use is on the first floor so it wasn’t damaged itself, but it wasn’t safe for us to use the building and there was no heating.”

The model railway society has its clubrooms on the top floor of the centre and has used the building for its annual three-day exhibition every September for 30 years.

While its clubrooms are now fully open again, the society was forced to cancel its 2016 exhibition due to flood damage to the centre and the subsequent repairs.

Exhibitors are booked a year in advance and they come from all over the country with around 2,500 visitors every year.

A statement on the society’s website confirms that preparations are now under way for the 2017 exhibition

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s executive member for environment, sport and culture, said: “The repairs and redecoration are almost complete so within a few weeks it should be totally available for everyone to use again.

“This is a well-used recreation centre which is very popular with people in Baildon and the surrounding areas.

“However, its proximity to the river makes it vulnerable to flooding which is why we have introduced extra measures to make it more resilient.

“A lot of hard work has gone into fixing it up and it will be great to see it fully operative once more.”

Baildon Recreation Centre is one of the many projects Bradford Council has tackled across the district to repair structures damaged by the floods.

These include pedestrian bridges, road bridges, retaining walls, culverts and undermined river banks.