Multi-million pound leisure centre refurb progressing well

Work on the exciting multi-million pound sustainable refurbishment of Altrincham Leisure Centre is progressing well with the centre due to open in the autumn of 2024.

Trafford Council is working with Kier to transform the centre on Oakfield Road into a state-of-the-art modern leisure facility for the whole community to enjoy.

The majority of the site has now been cleared, work has started on the extension to the front of the building for the extended gym and Spa, and carbon reduction elements have been installed on site.

Solar panels have been installed on the roof, which will reduce the carbon footprint of the building in line with Trafford Council’s commitment to help address our climate crisis. The use of gas has also been removed from the site to additionally help improve the carbon footprint of the building and, in keeping with the environmentally-friendly theme, more than 95 per cent of all the construction, demolition and excavation waste has been diverted away from landfill.

“Kier has also added to the sustainable element by providing waste materials to the Men’s Sheds Association charity, a community workshop supporting men’s health and wellbeing.

Last year, the Council and Kier signed a contract to complete the main works, which include a 25m swimming pool, a 20m learner pool, a pool pod to improve accessibility, a combined lobby area with pool viewing and café, wet side change areas, an inclusive Changing Places toilet and a health and wellbeing Spa facility.

There will also be a wellness assessment room, an enlarged fitness suite, fitness changing and dry change areas, two flexible studio spaces, an immersive indoor cycle studio, a four-court sports hall, a gymnastics hub and staff rooms and offices.

The new mix of facilities at Altrincham Leisure Centre – rebranded move Altrincham – has been developed with support from Sport England, to deliver long-term sustainable leisure provision that gives the best health and wellbeing outcomes for residents – a long term commitment to the local community from Trafford Council.

The investment supports the Council’s strategy and commitment to get more people moving more often, helping improve health and wellbeing, and is part of its Physical Activity Strategy, ‘Trafford Moving’.  It forms part of a borough-wide long-term strategy to support the health and wellbeing of local residents through access to affordable, sustainable, accessible and exciting, modern leisure facilities and follows the redevelopment of move Urmston in March 2020.

It also supports Trafford Council’s corporate priorities including to reduce health inequalities across the borough and address our climate crisis.

Cllr Cath Hynes, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Leisure, Arts, Culture and Heritage, said: said: “The health and wellbeing of residents in our communities is extremely important to us and I am delighted that we are completely transforming Altrincham Leisure Centre into an amazing 21st century facility for everyone to enjoy.

“We are investing millions of pounds into this project as we believe that is the right thing to do to ensure residents are given top-class facilities to help them improve their health, fitness and wellbeing.

“I am also very pleased with the work surrounding the environmental aspects of the building as the Council is committed to helping the environment through its work. Well done and thank you to everyone working so hard on the project.”

Jo Cherrett is CEO of Trafford Leisure, a community interest company wholly owned by Trafford Council, which manages leisure in Trafford on behalf of Trafford Council, using any profits and assets for community benefit.

She said: “Sustainability just makes business sense. We consider the environment, social and economic pillars in everything we do, and we take our role in the community seriously. We want to have a positive impact on our place and the people living and visiting Altrincham; not just for today, but also to ensure a sustainable world for future generations.

“We are very pleased with the progress Kier has made in integrating the environmental considerations into the building’s design and operation. If we always do what we have always done in building leisure centres, nothing will change, and I am pleased to see that construction and design is starting to evolve. This aligns with the Council’s and Trafford Leisure’s commitment to environmental stewardship, emphasising our shared dedication on this development to a greener and more sustainable future.

“We can’t wait for it to reopen under its new name move Altrincham, and for the local people of Altrincham to have a place they can be proud of and enjoy.”

Sarah Morton, regional director for Kier Construction North & Scotland, added ‘We are pleased with the progress made so far on transforming Altrincham Leisure Centre, and look forward to seeing the benefits it will bring to the local community.

“At Kier we aim to put sustainability at the heart of our projects, and we are particularly proud that our team has been able to use its expertise to cut the carbon footprint of the centre. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Trafford Council to deliver this fantastic facility.”