A £12m (US$15.6m, €13.7m) leisure centre that has been open for less than 18 months requires improvement works, including a bigger gym, because of high demand with membership numbers almost reaching capacity.

Fairfield Leisure Centre, which is run by Places for People, on behalf of Dartford Borough Council in Kent, took two years to build and opened in February 2016.

Since opening, there has been a 60 per cent increase in usage compared to the previous site and an average of 45,000 visits per month. Membership numbers have nearly hit the maximum capacity of 3,300.

The local authority has agreed to increase the size of the gym and car park, as well as alterations to the shower and changing facilities at a cost of up to £533,000 (US$692,300, €605,800), which will be covered by Places for People and the council.

Dartford councillors have agreed to increase the size of the gym by 120sq m (1,292sq ft) which will accommodate additional pieces of equipment.

A council report said that changes will potentially allow for an extra 300 members and that alterations to the shower and changing rooms need to be made after a "number of negative comments" from customers regarding layout.

The leisure centre car park will be increased by 40 spaces to 160 to meet the increased demand.

Tony Crafer, contract manager at Fairfield Leisure Centre, said: “In partnership with Dartford Borough Council, we are excited to announce that Fairfield will benefit from an extension of the current fitness suite, with an additional 15 new fitness stations and a larger free weights area.

“With the proposed enhancements to the fitness suite and the additional space for customers to exercise we will open up even more opportunities for people to adopt a healthier and more active lifestyle in line with our mission to create active places and healthy people.”