Councillors are committed to moving forward with building a new leisure centre on the existing King Alfred site and to keeping the existing facility open for as long as possible while that happens.
The first ‘call in’ request of Brighton & Hove City Council’s new cabinet system asked for a review of the decision from July where cabinet members agreed to progress the development of a new leisure facility on part of the existing King Alfred site.
That decision to move the development forward took into account feedback from the community alongside detailed evaluation of the proposed sites carried out by independent experts to examine the practicality, financial viability, health & wellbeing impacts, and value for money of the options.
Following a thorough discussion at the Place Overview and Scrutiny meeting, it was agreed that the challenge should be taken no further and the decision to move forward with the development should go ahead as agreed at cabinet in July.
Councillor Alan Robins, Cabinet Member for Sports and Recreation, said: “The King Alfred is the most well-used leisure centre in the city, but it’s nearly 80 years old and coming to the end of its life so we urgently need a new facility or residents will be left without.
“It’s in constant need of repair and expensive to run which is not sustainable in the long term. Refurbishment would only extend the life for a short period, couldn’t provide a facility that meets Sport England standards, and is not what our residents deserve.
“While we progress our exciting and long-overdue plans to build a brand-new leisure centre, we will also continue to do everything we can to keep the existing centre open for as long as possible.
“The council and Freedom Leisure are committed to investing in the existing King Alfred Leisure Centre and making improvements where needed to ensure residents continue to have access to a safe and accessible sports centre that meets the current needs of local residents.”
Councillor Jacob Taylor, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and City Regeneration, said: “We absolutely welcome scrutiny as an important part of our new system and through that process we demonstrated that we remain confident in our decision that building a new facility on the existing site is the best option for the city.
“It’s important we get this right, so we went through a robust evaluation process.
“It is crucial we invest in a modern and energy efficient new leisure centre, but it needs to be practical and financially sustainable. We took expert advice to look at what was viable and listened to what residents told us so we could be confident we chose a location that people wanted and would be well-used.
Work to select and appoint a lead architect and professional team to commence the design process will now begin.
At a future cabinet meeting in summer 2025 we will seek agreement on the design and the landowner’s consent for submission of a planning application.
We would not expect any work to begin on site before early 2026 and the facility is not expected to open before spring 2028.
The intention is to keep the current facility open and operating for as long as is possible.
The updated report shared with the overview and scrutiny committee and the initial cabinet report can be read on the council’s website.
Read more about the background and development of the new leisure centre so far.
