Starbeck Baths in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, has closed its doors to the public in order to allow work to get underway on a two-month refurbishment of the facility.

The centre will reopen on 5 April following the £237,000 revamp, which will include the replacement of floor tiles in the changing rooms, installing new damp proofing measures, and fitting a new energy efficient boiler. A refurbished reception area is also part of the scheme and is the first stage of a 10-year maintenance plan for Starbeck Baths estimated to cost around £780,000.

Work was originally scheduled to take place at the end of 2008 following Harrogate Borough Council's (HBC) decision to allocate £184,000 towards the scheme in August. However, the closure of Starbeck Baths was put back after HBC identified £53,000 of additional work that needed to be undertaken in order to improve the centre's facilities.

HBC cabinet member for cultural services, Pat Jones, said: "This is a huge amount of work and much of it can't be done while the pool is operating. We could have done it piecemeal but there are cost efficiencies to be made in doing all the work together."