A new leisure centre will cost almost double its original budget after another £4.8 million was added to the tab, new figures show.

The increased costs for the centre in Cranleigh come a week after it was confirmed its opening would be delayed until at least winter 2027.

In December 2021, Waverley Borough Council approved £19.95 million to build a low-carbon facility.

That increased to £31.14 million in 2023 when the council decided to build it to the highest level in energy efficiency, known as the Passivhaus standard.

The old centre accounted for 11 percent of the borough council’s carbon footprint and this was considered the best way to reduce its impact on climate.

Now the budget has increased by a further £4.8 million to £36 million mainly due, the council says, to ‘external factors” beyond its control, according to papers published ahead of the December overview and scrutiny committee.

The huge increase has also pushed the payback period on the project to an “astonishing” 50 years.

The council does expect the centre to be profitable within its second year, unlike the previous loss-making site, however.

Councillor Peter Martin (Conservative: Godalming Holloway) said: “Back in 2023, the leisure centre’s payback period was already an astonishing 47 years – nearly beyond the life of the asset itself.

“Reluctantly we accepted this, despite the fact that most leisure centres require comprehensive refurbishment after just 25 to 30 years.

“The picture now is significantly worse at over 50 years payback.

“Some of the huge cost increases now emerging appear to suggest that leadership simply did not properly account for all essential costs in 2023.

“For example, the latest report includes nearly £360,000 in additional costs for lockers alone.

“Residents are rightly asking: why was such a fundamental and predictable cost not properly included at the outset?”

Cllr Kevin Deanus (Conservative: Alfold Dunsfold and Hascomb) added: “The press release issued last week by Waverley Borough Council referred only to the appointment of a new contractor and made no reference whatsoever to the massive £4.8 million cost increase.

“Residents are not fools, they expect and demand proper value for money.”

Waverley Borough Council said the £360,000 figure accounted for fixtures and fittings of the new centre that includes lockers but also gym equipment, spin bikes, IT, pool equipment and furniture.

On payback, it said the figures did not account for the social benefits of the centre – which in two years would be making a profit rather than a loss as the current site does.

It said the press release had been to update residents on the progress of the project and introduce its appointed preferred bidder and had been issued before the financial figures had been confirmed.

The council says the new money reflects its desire to hit Passivhaus certification and meet guaranteed energy savings.

The most recent cost increase was due in large part, officers said,  to external factors beyond their control – such as rising costs for building materials and services – despite allowing for inflation and was consistent with other new leisure centre projects.

Parking, and the impact of the village centre during the build, were also addressed after concerns were raised by residents and businesses.

Half the new money, they added, would be coming from the council’s Community Infrastructure Levy – a fund paid for by developers, and in some cases homeowners caught up in red tape.

A spokesperson for the council said: “It is not unusual to have a payback period based on the life expectancy of a building, and in purely financial terms this is achieved with the new Cranleigh Leisure Centre.

“What this payback does not include, is the social value that a new facility will produce for the area and the benefits to wider agendas such as health and wellbeing.

“It should also be noted that from year two, the council will benefit from revenue because the operator will pay a management fee to run the new facility in accordance with our contract.

“Currently, the council is in a negative revenue position with the operator, as the current ageing facility is too outdated to function on a more commercially viable basis.”