New leisure centre planned for Leighton Linslade
Tuesday, 7 December 2021
Another new leisure centre is planned for Central Bedfordshire after our Executive agreed to progress plans for a £25 million facility in Leighton Linslade.
The next step is to a develop detailed design for the potential leisure centre which will offer top quality, indoor facilities for residents in the local communities and wider area.
Public consultation will be carried out in spring 2022 to get feedback on the proposals. This includes views on the future of the existing leisure centre. The feedback will help shape a final proposal which will require future Executive approval.
Plans will feature improved swimming facilities including a dedicated learner pool, an impressive fitness suite, cutting-edge exercise studios with an immersive spin studio, a coffee shop and community spaces.
The proposed centre will sit in the Clipstone Park housing development on the east of Leighton Buzzard. The centre will benefit from excellent links with walking and cycling routes and offer parking and bus stops to make it accessible for all residents.
The proposed facilities will deliver the increased scale and quality of leisure provision recommended in our adopted Leisure Facilities Strategy. It will meet current and future demand and encourage residents to pursue a healthy, active lifestyle.
The proposed scheme would deliver bigger and better facilities which would replace the existing Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre which is over 47 years old and at the end of its operational life.
Councillor Tracey Stock, our Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing and Communities, said:
This is tremendous news for Leighton Linslade residents and shows our commitment to investing in community wellbeing and leisure provision in Central Bedfordshire.
The facility will be the fifth new or significantly upgraded leisure centre to be built or commissioned in Central Bedfordshire since 2016. The Leisure Facilities Strategy made the case for the new and improved facilities, and we're continuing to deliver its recommendations.
The next step is to develop our plans for this new state-of-the-art leisure centre before consulting with residents next year.
Encouraging people to have a greater focus on mental and physical wellbeing is important as we continue to navigate through the complexities of a pandemic. Investing in our communities for our residents is a priority for us.
This scheme complements ambitious leisure plans across Central Bedfordshire. We have recently submitted a planning application for a £3.9 million extension to the Sandy Jenkins Pavilion site to provide new gym and studio facilities; and a new £25.6 million leisure centre is planned in Houghton Regis after we secured Levelling Up funding from the government.
Sport England said:
Sport England is very supportive of the project. We support the principle of a new leisure centre to serve the Leighton-Linslade area to provide quality facilities for residents and the wider community.