The aqua park at one of Kent’s most popular waterside leisure venues is set to undergo a major upgrade.
St Andrews Lakes in Halling will be “doubling in size” just in time to reopen in April this year, welcoming a range of new attractions.
The current aqua park has been taken down for the winter while equipment is cleaned, repaired and tested.
Marketing manager Eleanor Rose has confirmed construction is scheduled to begin on March 2 and is expected to take around 15 days.
The expansion will see the existing layout retained while a large number of new elements are added – with the park going from 247 sq m to around 5100sq m.
Among the new additions are more runways, and “a huge collection of high‑energy challenges, splash zones and epic features”.
Two additional versions of the popular La Jefa and El Jefe slides will also be introduced.
Every new feature has been supplied by world‑leading inflatable manufacturer AquaGlide.
Eleanor said: “We’re basically keeping exactly what was there before, but expanding on it.
“We installed a new slide last year, so we’re having two more slides in addition to that.
“We’ve got more runways, and one of those giant balls that you run across on Total Wipeout. It’s going to be very, very cool.
“There will be beams you’ve got to try and go across, it’s going to be pretty huge. It will be doubling in size for the 2026 season.”
The new features will include some of AquaGlide’s most iconic inflatable elements, such as Jungle, Parkway, Log Jam, I-Beam, Summit, Freefall Supreme, Double Ice Cap, Hatchway, Lugeway, Catapult and Helix.
To support the much larger layout, infrastructure work is taking place beneath the water, with new concrete anchors being installed across the lakebed to keep the floating park secure.
Eleanor explained: “Because it’s inflatable, we have anchors to hold it in place which are basically just concrete squares.
“They get dropped to the bottom of the lake and they’ll hook it to the anchors and attach it to the actual park so that there’s like minimal movement for the park to float away.”
There are currently 100 anchors in place, with another 160 being added.
The expansion will also mean a significant increase in visitor numbers, with the aqua park being able to accommodate up to 250 people per session this year, compared to 130 last year.
Tickets for the aqua park are £27.50 per person for a 60‑minute session, including a 10-minute safety briefing.
St Andrew’s Lakes is nestled in the countryside and was transformed from a quarry into a blue lake reserve with a range of water and land-based activities.
It’s billed as a “retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life” in a setting that “seamlessly combines breathtaking nature with the thrill of adventure”.
Last year, it opened a “unique adrenaline-filled” zip-line above its lake, as well as its new slide, La Jefa, which was built as the partner to fan-favourite El Jefe.
There are also a range of other activities available at the site, including kayaking, diving, paddleboarding, canoeing, open-water swimming, and sailing.
