The future of The Edge Leisure Centre in Haslemere is uncertain after Waverley Borough Council confirmed the termination of its lease on the facility from June 30.

The contract to operate the leisure centre, managed by Places Leisure, will also come to an end on this date with all staff to be relocated to other Places Leisure sites.

The Edge building, built in 1999 after a local fundraising campaign, is owned by Surrey County Council, which is responsible for securing a new tenant or operating the leisure centre from July 1.

The Edge is a ‘dual-use’ facility, with Woolmer Hill School given exclusive use of the centre during school hours, giving way to public users in the evenings and weekends.

However, a Waverley spokesperson said managing the dual-use facility through a third-party operator has “proven challenging at times”, and added the contract to manage The Edge has always carried a service cost, currently estimated at £130,000 per year.

It is understood the centre loses around £80,000 a year.

The Waverley spokesperson dismissed permanent closure fears, however, adding the council was “confident any new operator will want to maintain consistency of service and relationships with existing customers and community clubs”.

Woolmer Hill School is expected to remain the largest customer of The Edge Leisure Centre beyond Waverley handing the centre back to Surrey County Council on June 30.

A spokesperson for the county council said Surrey was “currently reviewing the matter and seeking to find a solution-based outcome with the Weydon Academy”, which runs Woolmer Hill School.

But John Winter, CEO of the Weydon Multi-Academy Trust, stated The Edge was a “vital facility” for Woolmer Hill School and will continue to be used, regardless of any changes.

Mr Winter added the centre would have to change its operating model, but The Edge was “definitely not” at risk of closure and the county council just needed to find a new operator to run the centre.

Waverley’s decision to terminate the lease has raised additional questions about the management of the artificial training pitches and the 3G pitch under-construction at Woolmer Hill.

But the Waverley spokesperson added: “Once an operator is identified, it is envisaged they will also manage the artificial training pitches and the new 3G pitch under a separate agreement with Waverley.”

The news has come as a shock to many, and it is understood neither Sport Haslemere or Haslemere Town Council were consulted prior to Waverley terminating its lease.

But Mr Winter said his MAT had been speaking to Waverley about the future of The Edge “for a while”.

The Edge was opened in 1999 after a local fundraising campaign and successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund by Nick Chilton and Eric Thomson MBE of Haslemere Hockey Club, both of whom have since died.

It boasts indoor and outdoor facilities, including a large hall and indoor hockey pitch, dance studio, fitness suite, all-weather pitches, grass football and rugby pitches, an athletics track and a modern pavilion.

The centre’s regular users include Healthflex physio, Swallows Trampoline Club and Haslemere Hockey Club.