A LUXURY private fitness club is about to be snapped up by Bournemouth council as part of a £6.9 million leisure project.

The surprise decision to purchase Roko in Kinson was approved by cabinet members behind closed doors this week – to the amazement of the vast majority of councillors.

The negotiations, which had been going on for a year, were shrouded in secrecy with only a handful of senior councillors aware of what was happening.

The Manor Farm Road club was not on the market but the council made a direct approach to its owners, asking if they would consider selling up.

If the sale goes ahead as planned on July 1, it will provide residents with an instant North Bournemouth Sports Centre and a replacement for the ageing Kinson Swimming Pool.

The council will fund the purchase of the club by using money from the capital pot, developers’ contributions and borrowing the rest.

It says buying Roko represents far better value than building a brand new sports centre from scratch, which would have cost around £11m.

It is not known how much the council is paying for Roko but the entire project, which includes the enlargement of the swimming pool, will cost just under £7m.

The existing club runs at a profit and the council expects this to continue, with a surplus of £80,000 predicted for the first year.

Existing Roko members will be offered membership under new, reduced prices, which will be similar to those at Stokewood Leisure Centre.

Residents will be able to use the fitness suite, dance studios and spinning room on a pay and play basis from October 2009.

The existing swimming pool will be enlarged and refurbished and should be open to the public by October 2010, when the Kinson pool will be closed for good.

Other facilities include synthetic football pitches, playing fields, a bar, café and a 180-space car park.

Roger Brown, the council’s director of leisure services, said: “I’m not aware of any other local authority that has actually purchased a health and fitness club from a private operator but it’s so well-placed for what we want to achieve.

“The guide price for what we were proposing to provide at Kingsleigh was about £11m and that was for a new build without outdoor facilities.

“We’re saving about £4 million minimum, we’re getting outdoor areas as well as indoor ones and the other advantage is that even with the refurbishment work, we can have that done by November next year. That’s what I call a win.”