Ashfield District Council – Kirkby Leisure Center

Ashfield’s residents will have improved community and leisure facilities in one of the area’s biggest regeneration projects. Ashfield District Council has created a new leisure centre in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, a long-promised and much-needed multipurpose community hub for local people. The centre which opened in August 2022 replaces an existing one, is part of the council’s wider investment in leisure provision across the area and will provide enhanced social and economic benefits.

Pagabo makes procurement easier

AtkinsRéalis was appointed via the Pagabo framework, which gave the council a compliant, swift and efficient appointment process, and a speedy route to market. The use of Pagabo enabled us to provide our specialist leisure center supply chain, to ensure that achieves best value and Sport England compliance for their facility.

Affordable center that meets local needs

The focus is on creating an inspiring center that meets local needs but is affordable for Ashfield District Council in these times of constrained local authority funding. The council wants to provide better social, health and leisure facilities for residents, encouraging participation. At the same time, the investment must be balanced with the facility’s revenue potential, so achieving best value is critical.

Flexible facilities

Ashfield District Council’s project reflects the recognition in local authorities that leisure facilities are a powerful catalyst for change, bringing communities together and improving residents’ wellbeing. Centers can be multi-purpose, maximizing the social and economic returns on investment. It’s not enough to simply serve sports and fitness enthusiasts. Engaging residents who have not previously participated is a priority, with exploration of barriers to participation. Diversity and inclusivity are improved when all community groups are considered. Kirkby Leisure Centre will host community cinema and theatre and be used for polling, as well as sports, fitness and a wellbeing area. The building’s zones are designed for flexibility, allowing the usage and layout to evolve with new activities or changed priorities in the future.

Making informed decisions

We have helped our client navigate several challenges, including a sloping site with some ground issues. Our feasibility study demonstrated that the town center site (which was occupied by an existing leisure center to be demolished to create the new car park) was nonetheless the best option. Enabling works and the main construction were carefully scheduled to overcome logistical and buildability complexities. Our leisure center supply chain advised on the optimal mix of facilities, to get the most for the budget, keep the building flexible and meet the needs of the different user groups.

Best value leisure features

Our leisure center value engineering expertise means that the people of Kirkby can choose from an impressive range of activities, despite a constrained project budget. The center's features include a 25m pool with flexible floor and separate leisure water area; four badminton court sports hall (with cinema capability); 85-station health and fitness gym with free weights area; two multi-activity studios; cycling studio; wellbeing studio and sensory room; indoor climbing wall and soft play; sauna and steam room, and café.

Stakeholder communication

Many organizations and groups have been involved with the project. Stakeholder communication and coordination have been an important part of our role. We liaised with the operator Everyone Active, the council’s estates department, Sport England and a variety of user groups. For the user groups, it’s important that they feel confident in the new facilities. In this instance, the indoor bowls club and the bodybuilder clients had very exacting requirements and we have endeavored to fulfil their needs.

Kirkby Leisure Centre will be a vibrant and high-quality community hub, and we’re proud to be making it happen.