The gym will be closed from Friday 21st February for removal off existing equipment in preparation for construction work starting on the Monday 24th February. It is estimated that the construction and building works will take 4 weeks to complete. Installation of gym equipment will take place in March with an estimated reopening in early April.
Yes, all the equipment on display will be included.
Updated inductions will not be mandatory to access the new gym. There will be an option to sign a ‘non-induction form’ to access the gym without undergoing an induction.
Free group inductions of up to 6 people will be scheduled for those who wish to spend time with an instructor to go over the new equipment in more detail.
Yes, we are currently considering options in advance of opening the new gym. That said, we must continue to work within our budget and recognise Aboyne is a shared campus. For example, it may be that the gym facility is available, but not the pool. We will communicate any revisions to opening time by mid-March 2025.
Members can access all other Live Life Aberdeenshire venues. Banchory Sport Village is the nearest gym and pool to Aboyne, and we would recommend people use here for the few weeks we refurbish Aboyne. During the refurbishment the pool and sports hall activities will still be available at Aboyne.
However, if members wish to downgrade or freeze memberships for the period, they can do so by contacting our customer service team by 18th February. Contact Us
Squash usage at Aboyne is currently less than 6%, with an average of one hour being used every other day. In addition, a lot of usage is from “one-off”, or non-regular visitors, with only 9 LLA members making bookings in the past 10 months. We can also see that those who play squash regularly, typically also use Banchory Sport Village.
We have been talking about our aspirations for the project since May 2024, and held an in-house consultation event in September 2024, followed by a survey, which generated 65 responses with suggestions for a new gym. Unfortunately, there is a small amount of people who may be disappointed by this decision; however, we are hopeful that on balance this project will be well received by the local community. We will work with individuals to ensure they feel supported in accessing Banchory for squash
Ultimately, we believe that there is reasonable provision for squash at Banchory, and a modern gym offer at Aboyne will yield a financial return, as well as creating opportunity for getting more people active more often.
We have two excellent squash courts available for use at Banchory Sport Village, only 15 miles away. Current Occupancy is 41%, and there is availability for pay and play or member bookings most times throughout the week, and at evenings and weekends.