Belfast's Maysfield Leisure Centre is to close at the end of March next year.

The centre requires millions of pounds to be spent on upgrading it to modern health and safety standards and city councillors have ruled that building a new complex would be more economically viable.

Opened in 1977, Maysfield is a cross-community leisure centre, being situated in a 'neutral' area of Belfast, neither unionist nor nationalist, and is reported to have the third highest number of customers of any of the city's council facilities.

It has hosted concerts and collectors fairs as well as sports events of all kinds, including boxing, basketball and gymnastics, and is the starting point for both the Belfast Marathon and the Circuit of Ireland rally.

Sentiment over the closure announcement has been mixed, with some sections of the community seeing it as regrettable and others enthusiastic about the opportunities presented by it.

The sale of the site could raise between £8-10m, which would pay for a new centre in the south of the city and contribute funding towards providing new facilities over the next few years in its north and east.

Although the actual site of Maysfield's replacement has not yet been chosen, the venue is scheduled to open in 2006. Disappointment has been expressed about the two-year gap between this and Maysfield's proposed closure date. Details: www.belfastcity.gov.uk