A sport, leisure and entertainment complex on Hood's Loaning, a quarter-mile (0.4 km) east of the centre of Dumfries, DG One is the largest leisure facility in SW Scotland. It takes its name from the postal code district within which it lies. Opened on 29th September 2008 by HRH the Princess Royal, the complex comprises a swim centre, six-court sports hall, an 80-station fitness suite and a 1200-seat event auditorium, which is used principally as a cinema and performance venue. The swimming area includes a national short course competition pool, a 20-m (22-yard) training pool, with movable floor, and a leisure water with beach, river rapid, and flumes. The performance venue hosts music, theatre, and sports such as wrestling and darts. The building was the work of Bedfordshire-based Kier Northern at a cost £17.2m, which was funded by Dumfries and Galloway Council, sportscotland, and the South of Scotland European Partnership. The complex has proved controversial with delays prior to completion and a series of closures of the swim centre due to loose tiles in the pool and problems with the moving floor.
DG One is run by Dumfries and Galloway Council. The complex replaced B-listed Loreburn Hall on Newall Terrace, dating from 1890, and the 40-year-old Dumfries Swimming Pool, which was located next to the River Nith at the Green Sands but demolished in 2009.
