Latest news with #leisurecentre
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
More than a dozen swimming baths extension bids received by council
More than a dozen tenders to build an extension to the Wavelengths swimming pool and leisure centre in Nelson have been received by Pendle Council. The project will be funded by the £25 million Nelson Town Deal, and 14 tenders of between £473,000 and £934,000 have been received and accepted by the council, according to a new report. Now, a decision needs to be made on which business – or businesses – will win the contract. Leading councillors on Pendle's executive looked at bids this week, and a decision on a contractor is due soon. Wavelengths is one of a number of council-owned leisure centres operated by the arms-length body Pendle Leisure Trust on behalf of the borough council. The future of leisure centres has been a topic of debate over recent years, with rising energy costs, building maintenance, and squeezed council budgets all having an impact. At one point, a consultant's review suggested closing one of the three main leisure centres, but that was later rejected after the Liberal Democrats and Independents took shared political control of the borough. Last summer, Pendle Council's executive backed a plan to invest in Wavelengths and was told extended facilities, including gym and fitness features, could boost the overall number of visits by more than 100,000. Increased customer use and payment would be needed to reach financial savings, which cannot be achieved through energy efficiencies alone, councillors were told. Furthermore, an expanded Wavelengths could assist the wider regeneration of Nelson town centre, which includes knocking down and redeveloping Pendle Rise shopping centre. Wavelengths could provide vital extra revenue to counterbalance the council's financial pressures elsewhere, councillors said. Last summer, Lib Dem Councillor David Whipp had said he wanted the Wavelengths spending decision delayed until September, when a review of all three leisure centres at Nelson, Colne, and Barnoldswick was due. But, most other councillors disagreed and said time was marching on with the Nelson Town Deal. Cllr Whipp also warned of a potential falling out between communities if one town was seen as getting more investment than another. However, other councillors said Colne was getting significant investment too with Levelling-Up funding for the Muni Theatre, other theatre spaces and Colne Market Hall. Pendle Council was also granted a £1.7 million public building de-carbonisation grant for West Craven Sports Centre in Barnoldswick and Wavelengths in Nelson, separately from the Town Deal. Existing gas-fired boilers, which supply heating and hot water,r will be replaced with air source heat pumps and windows will be upgraded. The council said it has provided an additional £900,000, bringing the total investment in the two leisure centres to £2.6 million.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Plans for new Telford leisure centre to go on show
Plans for a new leisure centre which will include a five-lane swimming pool are set to go on display. Telford and Wrekin Council said the centre would be built at the Telford Langley School in Dawley, an area it said had "the highest level of unmet demand for swimming provision".The centre was subject to planning approval and if granted, the authority hoped to have it built by early 2027. The plans will go on display on will be named after the first man to swim the channel, Captain Matthew Webb, who came from the Dawley area. The council said the name was fitting as this year marked the 150th anniversary of that plans will be revealed at a consultation event at Telford Langley School between 15:00 and 19:00 on Friday. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Guernsey's government to review alternative leisure centre uses
Guernsey's government will look at adding alternative uses for the island's States-owned leisure centre, after it lost nearly £900,000 in Sejour, in St Peter Port, already operates a theatre and cinema as well as hosting community and corporate events - on top of swimming and sports facilities.A recent review by Education, Sport and Culture (ESC) said there was "strong interest" in relocating a number of government, private and charity services to maximise efficiency and create a "holistic community" service Cocherane, from the Guernsey Basketball Association, said without Beau Sejour the island "probably wouldn't have a basketball league". Ms Cocherane said there was only one other regulation-sized basketball court on the said: "It's our home, it's where we play all of our games." Wayne Bullpitt, who was on the panel that created the report, warned people not to "jump to conclusions".He said there were a "number of areas to be further reviewed".Mr Bulpitt - a former chief commissioner of UK Scouting Association - said the swimming pool was full much of the time, so could be potentially while the sports hall was "vital to basketball", it was "unusually large" for the size of the island, he said. Law student Sammy Carre, 31, said: "I've been coming here since the old Beau Sejour was around. so it's always been a really big part of my Carre said she would "hang out" with friends as a teenager and now brings her nephews and nieces."This is a massive part of our life with the kids," she said, "It's just a really lovely area." Tim Eggimann, 43, said he "spent a lot of time" at the centre with his nephew, who liked scootering and had recently taken up Eggimann said his nephew also used the swimming pool and was hoping to take up basketball soon. Paige Hamon, 26, said: "We use it primarily for the park and the cafe - maybe for the soft play sometimes."When my son gets old enough we'll take him swimming."Miss Hamon said it was "a pretty important park" and part of her childhood.
BBC News
7 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Beau Sejour Leisure Centre could become 'community hub'
A leisure centre which operated at a loss of around £870,000 last year should be safeguarded as a holistic community service hub, a States of Guernsey review has found.A four-stage review is looking into the sustainability of the Beau Sejour Leisure Centre in Amherst, St Peter Port, which lost money largely due to electricity and staffing first two stages have concluded, with recommendations including repurposing underused spaces such as the sports hall, squash and outdoor tennis review said there was "strong interest" in co-locating a number of government, private and charity services to maximise efficiency and create a holistic community service hub. The recommendations are part of an independent review into the island's largest municipal leisure have been endorsed by the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture and an independent steering group."Beau Sejour is a cornerstone of Guernsey's community life, with the potential to evolve into an even more inclusive and impactful facility," the report concluded. "By addressing current challenges and capitalising on identified opportunities, it can continue serving as a vibrant hub for health, wellness, and cultural engagement for generations to come."Beau Sejour was found to be providing essential leisure, cultural and social services and was a multifunctional hub for health, culture and community engagement. 'Key part of community' In a joint statement, the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture said: "Beau Sejour accommodates activities and provides facilities that are a key part of our community, and the committee greatly values the social and economic contributions made."The centre's purpose and value "have now been clearly defined through this consultation", they added. The report said the centre's long-term sustainability required "a proactive approach to balance economic viability with community benefit", with the various uses of the centre and its future management and finance options needed to be centre was found to generate £1.39m a year in social value for Guernsey, ranking in the top 25% of similar facilities for social value per was found to provide significant public health benefits through physical activity and sport, playing a strong role in rehabilitation and preventative fitness and swimming facilities were found to be well used, with operating costs "generally well-controlled, and secondary income sources are above average".Recommendations also included an increase in spending on marketing to attract new customers, while flagging up that ageing assets required increasing maintenance, which could become than industry average staffing costs as a percentage of income should be monitored and reviewed in light of industry and the local norms, the report also recommended reviewing energy use to shift from oil to greener final two stages of the review are due to conclude by the end of this year.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Keighley leisure centre set to reopen after £900,000 refurbishment
A leisure centre which closed for repairs and a refurbishment scheme is set to reopen next month, Bradford Council confirmed. The Leisure Centre in Keighley closed in February to allow work on the £900,000 project to take place, including electrical improvements and the fitting of solar panels. The work was funded in part by the government's national swimming pool support an email to local residents, the local authority said the leisure centre would be open again from 30 June. The pool, gym and sports classes at the centre on Hard Ings Road have been unavailable for the past four months.A limited number of activities have continued at the neighbouring Victoria Hall. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
