Community / No listed building status for the Clickimin
A PUSH by a London-based architectural heritage charity to make the Clickimin Leisure Complex a listed building has fallen short of its goal.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said the Lerwick leisure centre does not meet the criteria of special architectural or historical interest, and therefore will not be listed.
The application for the Clickimin had been submitted by the Twentieth Century Society back in 2022 as part of a campaign to get some UK leisure centres listed.
Listed building status is designed to protect and preserve features of historic or architectural significance.
The Clickimin, operated by Shetland Recreational Trust (SRT), was formally opened in 1985 and developed in stages.
The centre has grown to include a popular swimming pool, a gym, a bowls hall and a squash court, while it caters for a number of other uses and hosts large events.
The FaulknerBrowns Architects firm was involved in its design.
The application said: “The historic significance of the design stems from the importance of the project for the islands, with the centre replicated as part of a comprehensive masterplan, transforming inhabitants’ access to leisure.
“As the original landmark which lit the fuse for these constructions and provided a model for their design, Clickimin is of exceptional architectural and historic interest.”
HES undertook a site visit to the Clickimin in 2023 as part of the application process.
However, in a report the organisation said the Clickimin is “not a particularly early or rare example of a sports and leisure centre” for its date.
It added that the addition of a gym and the reconfiguration of the original entrance have altered the original character of the complex.
The report added: “The centre is constructed in good quality materials and longevity has been designed into the building, however overall, it is not considered exceptional in design terms for its building type or its component parts.”
HES does highlight, though, that the centre is a “built reminder to the vision of the Shetlands Islands Council and SRT’s ‘Shetland Masterplan’ to inject oil and gas wealth back into the islands to help create a sport, health and leisure infrastructure for islanders to enjoy”.
Once a building is listed, special consent is required to make changes to the property that the local planning authority deems will affect its character.
When launching its campaign in 2022, the Twentieth Century Society said leisure centres were not only places of community identity and shared social heritage, but in many cases were “architecturally innovative structures”.
The Twentieth Century Society said it did not wish to provide any comment on the decision not to give the Clickimin listed building status.
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