Willmott Dixon has been contracted by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council to complete an extensive £7.5m refurbishment of Kidsgrove Leisure Centre, restoring the facility that closed in 2017.

Over the next 12 months, the centre will be given an extensive makeover to bring it back to life for local residents to enjoy. Willmott Dixon will strip-out the existing interior, roof and glazing, before delivering a full M&E fit-out alongside adding new pool filtration systems and cathodic protection to the existing pool tank.

Procured using the Scape framework, the building will host a range of wet and dry leisure facilities, including a six-lane swimming pool, fitness suite, spin studio, multipurpose studio space and sports hall catering for a range of indoor sports including netball, badminton, basketball, futsal and cricket. The centre will be run by Kidsgrove Sports Centre Community Group.

The project has been made possible through the allocation of £2.45m from Kidsgrove's Town Deal, as part of the Government’s Towns Fund. The remaining capital funding has been made available from the borough council and partner agencies.

Council leader Simon Tagg said:

“Kidsgrove Sports Centre is one of the council’s top priorities. It is wonderful news that the government has agreed to fund the facility with nearly two and a half million pounds from the Towns Deal Fund. This is yet another measure of the Government’s confidence in what we are trying to achieve right across the borough.

“The community group has achieved a great deal so far, and are committed to the future success of the centre, and there is a very capable board of trustees in place. The council will continue to be involved with the centre and that we will need to provide financial support during the ‘start-up’ years. We have already built that into our financial planning. The project has moved at quite some speed and it’s amazing to think that the project will be finished, with the centre up and running this time next year.”

Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the North, said:

“We are delighted to be breathing new life into this much missed leisure facility. Through the launch of the Towns Deal Fund, the Government has put urban regeneration at the heart of its policies and we are proud to play our role in creating a facility that will play a key role in the physical wellbeing of current and future generations in Kidsgrove.”

Mark Robinson, group chief executive at SCAPE said:

“The Towns Deal Fund is all about levelling up our regions and Kidsgrove Leisure Centre will achieve exactly that. By connecting the ambitions of the council with the talents of Willmott Dixon, this important project will create jobs and local opportunities, whilst stimulating the health and wellbeing of the local community. At SCAPE, we’re proud to have played a part in helping the council to accelerate their plans.”

The project is the latest for Willmott Dixon in Staffordshire. The team are also on site delivering a 730-space multi-storey facility in Stoke-on-Trent, and recently handed over the Clayworks build-to-rent apartments and Hilton Garden Inn Hotel at the heart of the transformational Smithfield development.