The end of 2022 marked a huge milestone in the development of Knaresborough Leisure Centre with the signing of the steel by organisations involved in the construction project.

David Hawcroft and Councillor Matt Scott of Harrogate Borough Council, Stuart Winslow of Brimhams Active, Julian Donnelly from ISG and Sean Nolan from Alliance Leisure all joined Andrew Jones MP, MP for Harrogate, at the King James Road location where the £17m leisure and wellness centre will open this summer.

The project is being delivered by leisure development specialist Alliance Leisure and their construction partner ISG.  The Knaresborough site is one of two leisure projects currently underway with another £11m investment being made at Harrogate Hydro.  Both projects are being delivered via the UK Leisure Framework which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure.

The Knaresborough scheme includes a six-lane 25metre pool, activity pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, immersive cycling studio, café, electric car charging points, an outdoor play area and bicycle storage.

Providing a comment to the York Press, Councillor Stanley Lumley, the Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at Brimhams Active, said, “This new facility for Knaresborough will be a fantastic asset for the town and shows our commitment to investing in leisure provision across the district.

“Our vision at Brimhams Active is to create a healthier, more active population that is living longer, more independent and happier lives. And by supporting this vision through this level of investment, we’ll be able to achieve this.”

Incorporating high efficiency building materials, air source heat pumps and solar panels to reduce the carbon footprint, the centre is being built to the BREEAM standard of ‘Excellent’ which provides third-party certification of the assessment of the sustainability and energy performance for buildings.  Achieving this BREEAM accreditation will contribute to the council’s vision to have a net-zero carbon economy by 2038.