Questions and answers: Construction timecale for Leighton Leisure and Community Centre
Funding
How is the new leisure and community centre being funded?
We are constructing the new leisure centre with £33.9 million of funding from our capital budget and Section 106 contributions.
Existing use
How will the proposals impact the existing leisure facilities?
Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre will remain open until the new leisure centre is ready for use. At that point, activities will transfer from the existing facility to the new centre. he existing sports hall and squash courts are part of the Cedars Upper School site. These will remain in place and continue to be available for community use.
What will happen to Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre?
We have not yet taken a decision on the future use of the existing Tiddenfoot leisure facilities. We will consider the future of Tiddenfoot in advance of the new centre opening.
Leisure provision
How have we determined the mix of facilities for the new leisure centre?
In 2021 we adopted our new Leisure Facilities Strategy. The strategy assessed leisure facility needs across the council. It provided recommendations for future provision to meet current and future needs.
The assessment considered the current facility, current need, and future growth. The results showed a new centre should be provided for Leighton Buzzard and the surrounding area due to the age of the existing centre and the need to provide high quality leisure facilities for the growing population.
What facilities should we provide in Leighton-Linslade according to the leisure strategy?
The leisure strategy included a Sport England Facilities Planning Model (FPM) assessment. This assessed current and future demand for sports hall and swimming pool provision. It included demand generated by the increased population forecast in the Local Plan.
The FPM results show that we need one 4-badminton-court-size sports hall. The existing six court sports hall at Cedars Upper School already fulfils this demand.
It highlighted that we need a 25-metre, six-lane, main swimming pool. We also need a 17-metre by 10-metre teaching/learner pool to meet the forecast swimming demand. We have decided to increase the provision to include a larger 25-metre, eight-lane main pool. This will give us greater flexibility and capacity to run a range of pool activities.
Why are we proposing the new centre in the planned location?
The new site is the right size and in a good strategic location. There are good links to the residential development and the wider catchment area. The leisure facilities strategy compared the accessibility of the new site with Tiddenfoot. It highlighted that the new centre offered similar levels of accessibility. It is a similar distance from the town centre and will be on the local bus route.
Grass sports pitches are being provided by the neighbouring housing developments. These will be adjacent to the proposed leisure centre. This provides an opportunity to create an indoor and outdoor sporting hub. The hub will be a great resource for the wider Leighton-Linslade community.
Why is there no sports hall included in the proposals?
Our leisure facilities strategy assesses the demand for sports hall provision. The assessment considers current and future use and trends. This evidence shows we only need one four-court hall to meet those needs.
The existing six-court sports hall and squash courts are part of Cedars Upper School. These facilities will continue to be available for community use through a Community Use Agreement (CUA).
Will there be a change in how the community accesses the school sports hall?
Cedars Upper School already lets out pitches to the community. It has a booking system in place, so they would add these facilities to their community offer.
What does a Community Use Agreement (CUA) include?
The CUA is a legal agreement which secures community access to school sports facilities. The CUA details:
- hours of community access – the hours of access will remain the same as they are currently; which is usually after school on weekdays, all day weekends and during school holidays
- management arrangements – this provides detail of who will manage the facilities when the community is using them
- booking arrangements
Will my monthly subscription increase once the new facility opens?
Fees are set annually in conjunction with our leisure operator. There is no intention to increase the fees outside of this normal process. We want to ensure the new leisure centre remains accessible to as many people as possible.
Will there be some time when leisure facilities are not available?
The local community will be able to access leisure facilities throughout the project. Tiddenfoot will remain open until we complete construction on the new centre. At this point we will transfer activities to the new centre. There will only be a brief period needed to transfer operations from the old centre to the new one. We will communicate the timing of this in advance.
The sports hall and squash courts at Cedars Upper School will continue to operate as they do now.
Does this mean we will halt ongoing work on the existing Tiddenfoot leisure centre?
We will continue to ensure existing facilities remain safe, operational, and well-maintained. This will continue until the new leisure centre is ready to open.
Will changing facilities for the outdoor pitches be provided?
We will be providing changing facilities for the outdoor pitches. These will be in the new leisure centre with direct access out to the pitches.
The development
When will the new centre be open to the public?
Work is due to commence in October 2024 with construction forecast for completion in summer 2026.
Will disabled facilities and changing places be available for all?
Yes, all changing areas offer flexibility for all users. Sport England guidance requires us to provide combined accessible WC and shower rooms for the use of disabled users. We are providing these on both floors. We have designed changing areas for wheelchair use to ensure suitable access.
We will provide 2 ‘Changing places’ rooms- one in the wet change area, and one in the dry side. Both areas will provide a generous change area. This follows ‘changing places’ guidance. These facilities support users with an accessible changing environment.
Do the proposals include a pool hoist to ensure accessibility to the pool for all?
Both pools will include provision for an 'Oxford Dipper' and 'pool pod.' These provide supported access into the pools. The main pool will also have easy-access stairs with handrails.
How is the proposed building designed to be sustainable?
An integrated approach to the design has been undertaken to improve health and safety, design quality, sustainability, and ‘buildability’ to reduce whole-life costs.
Measures include:
- heat pumps – air source heat pumps to provide 80% of the heating requirements. A backup gas boiler will provide the remaining 20% in cold periods when Heat Pumps are ineffective
- energy conservation – reduced carbon technologies and high-efficiency plant will reduce energy demand. Heat-recovery systems will recover and utilise heat as appropriate
- water conservation – water-saving devices on sanitary ware
- materials selection – the Green Guide will be used to ensure responsive sourcing and embodied carbon
- pollution emissions - mechanical and electrical plant with recognised and acceptable gas emissions
Parking and access
How many parking spaces will the new leisure centre have?
The new centre will have an adjacent car park with 219 parking spaces plus motorcycle and cycle parking. The parking bays will include accessible bays close to the main entrance to the facility and 22 electric vehicle charging points.
How accessible will the new leisure centre be on foot, public transport, or bicycle?
Residents can access the leisure centre via the new Eastern Link Road. This will provide pedestrian paths as well as a cycleway. The centre will connect to a network of other cycle and footpaths. These are being provided by the housing development.
A new bus stop is located on Briggington Way close to the end of the access road.
Environment
What are we doing to protect the natural environment?
Existing vegetation such as hedgerows and trees will be retained as far as possible, and this will be enhanced with extra planting. This will improve the connectivity and biodiversity value across the site.
A management plan will also be produced for the site. This sets out the maintenance and management requirements to establish and safeguard the natural environment on the site.
Construction
Will the construction work be noisy?
Some of the construction operations will be noisy. The building contractor will operate to the Good Contractor Code of Conduct. This restricts working hours.
We will register the site with the Considerate Constructors Scheme. They will undertake regular checks on the site.
The contractor will notify residents of noisy works or large deliveries. This will be through letter drops.
What hours will we be working?
8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am to 1pm on Saturday, if required.