February 2023 - Alliance Leisure

Monthly Archives: February 2023

ISG’s latest research and insight report ‘Sustainable Buildings Monitor: Redefining value’

We recently joined partners from across various sectors to discuss the outcomes and discussion points from ISG‘s latest research on sustainability – see the full webinar HERE. James Foley, Commercial Director at Alliance Leisure, sat on a panel alongside representatives from the NHS, Welsh Government, defence infrastructure and the private sector, to discuss planning strategies, construction challenges and collaboration opportunities.

What's clear from the report and bringing so many different sectors together is that we all share the same challenges as well as opportunities. Undeniably, sustainability plays a huge role in any modern construction project, and we see this as part of delivering against a wider definition of value, impacting the ESG agenda: Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance.

James Foley

Commercial Director, Alliance Leisure

Download ISG'S REPORT HERE

Community Engagement Works by Partners ISG – delivering social value

As construction works continue on projects being delivered by Alliance Leisure through the UK Leisure Framework in Harrogate and Knaresborough, we wanted to share some of the community engagement projects being delivered by our construction partner, ISG.

In Harrogate, ISG is working closely with the Little Explorer’s Day Nursery next door to the construction site to enhance the experience of the children in their care. In addition to financing and installing a large, new shed so the nursery can secure its outdoor play equipment, ISG has also re-laid bark and sand areas to improve usability and appeal.

A new four-seater stroller has also been financed so the nursery teams can safety take the children out and about into the community to expose them to new sensory and learning experiences. Nursery artwork is also being displayed on site hording to add some visible interest and pumpkins are being donated to support Halloween activities.

The construction company is also supporting Fern House, a hostel housing people who find themselves without a permanent home, through the donation of outdoor planters. Residents are being invited to ‘make the planters their own’ through the planting of vegetables which delivers therapeutic value whilst also promoting sustainable food sources and healthy eating.

In Knaresborough, ISG is engaging with local schools, providing STEM sessions and attending career fairs to promote employment opportunities in the construction industry. ISG is also working with York college and Leeds college to provide students with work placements and career advice, helping youngsters understand opportunities and access information that will help them to enter the local workforce.

Councillor Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said: “We’re delivering more than £40million worth of leisure provision across the Harrogate district, ensuring people can keep fit and active for many years to come.

“We’re keen to ensure that during the works we can support the local community in Harrogate and Knaresborough, therefore I’m delighted that Alliance and ISG have been able to support a number of local projects.”

These are just some of the projects our partner ISG is delivering in association with the extensive leisure development works. In Harrogate, the new hydro is being completely re-imagined to deliver improved facilities and energy efficiencies, whilst in Knaresborough, a brand new energy efficient leisure centre is being constructed. Alliance Leisure and ISG are expected to remain on sites until Autumn 2023 so there is plenty more time for many more new and exciting community engagement projects. We will keep you posted!

It's great to see ISG contributing to local projects alongside the construction of the new leisure facilities. These new developments will deliver huge levels of social value but being able to delivery real tangible benefits throughout a project is very rewarding.

Sean Nolan

Business Development Manager, Alliance Leisure

Alliance Leisure welcomed as APSE’s latest Approved Partner

Alliance Leisure has joined an exclusive list of APSE approved partners selected from a range of suppliers up and down the country.

John Leaver, Head of Marketing at Alliance Leisure, commented:

“Working with over 70 local councils every year and having attended many APSE events, we knew the time was right to apply to become an APSE partner and explore other opportunities together. I’m sure we can bring some innovative thinking in transforming leisure facilities and share the successful projects we’ve been delivering across the UK.”

As an award-winning leisure development company Alliance has delivered over 220 leisure facilities since its founder and Chief Executive Sarah Watts started the company in 1999. Those projects represent an investment value of over £300m in leisure infrastructure with projects varying from outdoor parks and play spaces, to large-scale refurbishments and new-build leisure centres. Alliance Leisure are also the approved development partner for the UK Leisure Framework, which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure, and provides a pre-procured route to market for operators looking to develop their facilities.

“Having enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Alliance Leisure, APSE are delighted to have them on board our Approved Partner scheme. With Alliance Leisure’s customer-first approach, there is no doubt that they will provide a real budget boost and market-savviness for our members, particularly at this time of serious financial uncertainty in the leisure sector.”

Mo Baines

APSE Chief Executive

Soil Importation FAQs

The opportunity to reduce the costs of a capital project are a high priority for any construction team, and we partner with Golf and Leisure Experience (GLE), who specialise in the importation of environmentally approved soil, to do just that. We asked Scott Cranfield from GLE to answer 5 key questions we often get asked when it comes to these projects.

1 | What is soil importation?

We remodel outdoor spaces by taking environmentally approved soil from construction sites and repositioning it on our clients’ area to be developed. This process generates a royalty payment which allows us to deliver a turnkey operation at a significant cost contribution to the project. It’s a genuine win win win for the land owner, operator and the community.

2 | What is the quality of the soil?

The Environmental Agency has to issue a permit for the use of the soil and will specify the type of material that can be used. Once the specification is clear, we will then find donor sites that match that specification. Donor sites tend to be operated by large plc companies who are obliged to have extensive testing carried out to confirm the type of material they would like to remove from this site. It is only when the material on this site (the donor site) matches up with what is permissible by The Environment Agency, can we then bring it to your site to create the remodelling.

3 | What type of projects can the soil be used for?

Any outdoor green space that needs improving or upgrading is worth considering. Examples might include football, rugby or cricket pitches that are in poor condition (resulting in lost matches and revenue) or a community park that need to be modernised and improved. We’re currently working with Alliance Leisure on Central Park in Dagenham which will see a complete transformation of the outdoor spaces. Not only will all footpaths be improved but a toddler playground is being installed alongside an adventure playground zone and plenty of native tree and wildflower planting.

4 | Can the soil importation offset ALL costs of a development?

This depends on the scale of the project but we always set out to make a project cost neutral to our clients. The first step is a desktop study, sometimes combined with a site visit, which will give us a general overview of the potential, and the likelihood of delivering the project at zero cost to the council. This stage is carried out free of charge by ourselves and it is only after this stage - when both parties believe the project is viable - do any costs get incurred.

5 | Sounds too good to be true, so what’s the next step?

As I’ve just said, an initial feasibility study is undertaken to assess the potential of a site and identify potential donor sites. Clients can either contact me direct or get in touch with one of the team at Alliance Leisure. And if procurement is a concern, we are an approved supplier on the UK Leisure Framework which allows any local authority in the UK to access our services through this procurement vehicle. Please give me a call if you’ve got any more questions.

Contact a member of our team

Still got questions?

Follow the latest updates HERE on our Central Park project where soil importation is fundamental to the whole project.

£2.5m investment in Tenterden Leisure Centre power plant will cut carbon emissions and lower running costs

Ashford Borough Council has secured a £2m Government grant to replace the ageing power plant at Tenterden Leisure Centre with a state-of-the-art system which will slash running costs, cut carbon emissions and provide a boost to bold ambitions to make the borough carbon neutral by 2030.

The Council is also investing more than £465k in the ambitious project, taking the total to nearly £2.5m. Installation work is due to begin this week.

Ashford submitted a bid to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) via Salix Finance, which provides grants for public sector bodies to fund energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation measures. The £1bn scheme is part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs 2020 to support the UK’s economic recovery from the pandemic.

The Council has secured a grant of £2m from the PSDS towards the cost of the scheme, which will see the replacement of the existing gas fired heating plant with high-tech air to water heat pumps, along with other improvements including the installation of PV solar panels to provide the electricity to power the new system.

Benefits of the scheme include:

Reduction of Tenterden Leisure Centre’s annual carbon emission total by 320 tonnes (the equivalent of taking 168 fossil fuel cars off the road).
A significant contribution to the Council’s goal of making the borough 100% carbon neutral by 2030
Frees up vital Council funds to be spent on other priority projects

This new work follows the updating of the centre’s plant during 2022, which saw a new pool air handling unit, combined with an air source heat pump, new pool filtration vessels and new control panels.

As air source heating is electrically powered, the generation of electricity on site supports this method of heating, which is why a solar PV installation is also included in the scheme. Further efficiencies will be achieved by the installation of more energy efficient pumps and motors, and upgrades to the building management system software and controls.

The Council is delivering the improvements in partnership with specialist leisure consultants Alliance Leisure, who are managing the project, with Leisure Energy contracted for the installations.

“We applied for the grant as part of our bold commitment to be 100% carbon neutral by 2030, with an 80% reduction target by 2025. I am delighted that work is underway and I look forward to the scheme delivering real benefits for the Council and local people.”

Cllr Matthew Forest

Portfolio Holder for Environment, Property and Recreation

“We are delighted to be working with Ashford Borough Council and Leisure Energy on this important Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funded by Salix. Over 300 tonnes of carbon emissions will be saved, greatly benefiting the local community and the environment.”

Chris Ames

Delivery Manager for Alliance Leisure

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Work begins on £24m community hub integrating leisure, health and support services

Work gets underway this month to replace Sharley Park Leisure Centre in Clay Cross with a new community hub including leisure and health services in a project led by Alliance Leisure.

The £24.1m scheme forms a key part of North East Derbyshire District Council’s Clay Cross Town Investment Plan, which aims to deliver a number of projects to ensure Clay Cross is a thriving place to live and work.

Designed by GT3 Architects, the new Clay Cross Active hub will deliver fit-for-purpose activity, health and support services in one site for the 20,000 residents of Clay Cross and the surrounding area. It aims to provide a space where the public can be active, both physically and mentally, which offers opportunities to learn and develop and a site to improve health and wellbeing and social interaction.

The development will be coordinated by Alliance Leisure through the UK Leisure Framework, which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure, with ISG acting as principle build contractor.

“Through Clay Cross Active, North East Derbyshire District Council is demonstrating how public sector leisure can provide integrated services that meet the social, health and wellbeing needs of the whole community to ensure a successful and sustainable future for public leisure provision”

Julia Goddard

Senior Business Development Manager at Alliance Leisure

Built on land next to the existing 1970s built Sharley Park Leisure Centre, the low carbon centre will feature solar PVs and air source heat pumps. Facilities will include a 100-station gym, group cycling studio, four court sports hall as well as a 25m swimming pool with six lanes, plus a learner pool with spectator seating. Designed with accessibility in mind, the changing village will include a Changing Places facility.

A wellness suite installed with Innerva power-assisted equipment arranged in a 12-station circuit will cater for people of all fitness levels, particularly those who are less mobile, suffering from illness, or who are undergoing post-operative rehabilitation.

Other facilities will include soft play, a TAGactive indoor adventure play area, treatment rooms, a multi-purpose room for community activities and a café with a viewing gallery for the swimming pool.

Outside, the large park will be reinvigorated with social areas, improved play equipment, a full size 3G floodlit pitch plus a walking/cycle route around the park’s one mile perimeter.

Medical services will be delivered from the new hub, while organisations such as Citizens Advice will also operate from the centre.

“This will be a new facility for the local community that will be unrivalled within the area. The setting for the Centre is ideal to offer a wider external appreciation for sports in addition to the state-of-the-art facilities that the Centre will offer. The journey began with our Pre-Construction team and Alliance and will finish with a first-class facility delivered by Sean Smithson, Project Manager and his team. We look forward to the day when members of the public can use the facility and enjoy everything that our team has worked so hard to create.”

Craig Johnson

Project Manager, ISG

“We have chosen Alliance Leisure as our delivery partner due to their specialist leisure expertise and the efficient procurement route offered by the UK Leisure Framework. We have worked successfully with Alliance on a number of other projects across our leisure portfolio and look forward to working together again on Clay Cross Active.”

Chris Mills

Assistant Director for Leisure at North East Derbyshire District Council

Pictured: Cllr Alex Dale, Leader of North East Derbyshire District Council (centre) surrounded by local Cllr’s, NEDDC officers and delivery partners for the Clay Cross Active leisure hub.

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Derby Football Hub gets ready for kick-off

Plans to progress the development of a proposed community grassroots football and sport hub on Derby Racecourse will be discussed at next week’s Cabinet meeting.

The proposed Hub would seek to address the shortfall in the city’s football pitch provision and would include the development of three new full-size 3G football turf pitches (FTPs) on the site, as well as the refurbishment of an existing FTP and a new changing pavilion including a community café and meeting space.

In addition to the improved pitch provision, the Hub development would include increased parking spaces as well as improved entry and exit to the site. Derby City Council’s Cabinet are looking to approve a total budget of £11.902m to enable the development to kick off, with funding proposed from the Council alongside a pending funding decision from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.

The pitch works would be delivered by a specialist contractor of the Football Foundation while the pavilion and car park aspects would be delivered by Alliance Leisure with plans for work to start onsite in Spring 2023.

Universal Civils have been appointed as the contractor for the scheme, with Abacus acting as project managers and Bradshaw Gass & Hope as architects.

A decision will be made on the plans at February’s Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 15 February.

We're delighted to be coordinating this project that brings together lots of partners to provide a first-class facility for the local community.

Will Gardner

Business Development Manager, Alliance Leisure

This project is a worthy investment for the Council and will give our communities the grassroots football facilities they deserve. I'm very much looking forward to seeing the Football Hub take shape over the coming months.

Councillor Jerry Pearce

Derby City Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetpride, Public Spaces and Leisure

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Public Sector Leisure Receives ‘Levelling Up’ Investment Boost

Last month, the government announced more than £300 million will be injected into leisure and wellbeing developments, thanks to a number of successful Levelling Up Fund (LUF) bids. The investment allocation is part of a total £2.1 billion round two ‘levelling up’ investment fund introduced to help tackle regional inequalities.

This news is most welcome. Still too much of the UK's leisure stock is tired and struggling to meet the modern needs of the communities it serves. This funding will unlock opportunities for those councils who submitted successful bids to develop new active environment in tune with modern day community needs. This will help to deliver against much wider objectives such as creating more active populations through better engagement with disengaged groups, tackling health inequalities and promoting community cohesion. £300 million is an encouraging step in the right direction, but we know more investment is needed to maintain sustainable public sector provision. It is also encouraging to hear that the government intends this round of investment to be followed by a third round.

Paul Cluett

Managing Director, Alliance Leisure

One of the projects to benefit from round 2 of LUF is the building of a new wellbeing hub in Caerphilly, Wales, courtesy of a successful bid to the tune of £20 million by Caerphilly County Borough Council supported by Alliance Leisure and Mutual Ventures.

The new facility, to be located in the heart of Caerphilly, will become the flagship leisure and wellbeing hub for the whole county borough. This project is due to be delivered by Alliance Leisure , with ISG named as the principal construction partner, Watson Batty as architects and Hadron Consulting taking care of project management, and is expected to complete by March 2025.

In addition to the investment from LUF, Caerphilly County Council is also contributing more than £13 million from its own reserves towards the new facility, creating a total funding pot of more than £33 million. The development will be procured through the UK Leisure Framework, which is owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure.

The wellbeing hub will include a swimming pool, fitness suite, active play centre for children and teenagers, spa and wellbeing facilities, a multi-purpose sports hall, catering facilities and several multi-use community rooms to support health, wellbeing and community cohesion.

This is fantastic news and demonstrates our vision and ambition to deliver major projects that will regenerate our communities and result in positive change for local residents.

Cllr Sean Morgan

Caerphilly Council Leader

The development is a key part of the council’s wider Sport and Active Recreation Strategy which aims to get more people, more active, more often. It also forms part of a major regeneration blueprint for Caerphilly town centre called the Caerphilly 2035 Place Making Plan – as well as the wider £500+ million place shaping programme for the wider county borough.

Alliance Leisure are already involved in the delivery of several other leisure projects made possible by the first round of LUF, including Clay Cross Active, a £24m new-build development on behalf of North East Derbyshire District Council, and Mablethorpe Leisure and Learning Hub which is in construction and due to open in the summer of 2024.

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£12m sports facility breaks ground

Former England footballer Teddy Sheringham and a host of partners came together to officially break ground and sign the steel beams on the new £12m state-of-the-art sports facility at Parsloes Park in Dagenham.

The development will feature a gym, fitness studio, a café, and meeting/multi-use rooms, as well as providing new shower and changing facilities to support 16 grass

The project is being funded by a £6.2million grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, as well as a £6.1million investment from Barking and Dagenham Council. The project has also received contributions from the London Marathon Charitable Trust and The Greater London Authority.

The new sports centre is being delivered by specialist leisure developer Alliance Leisure and their partners at Etec Group, Varsity Consulting and Bradshaw, Gass & Hope LLP, after being procured via the UK Leisure Framework, which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure.

The Sports Hub will be operated by the charity, Leisure United on behalf of the National Football Trust itself a registered charity.

It's fantastic to see this development starting to take shape and when finished it will offer state-of-the-art community and sports facilities for people to take advantage of. It's no secret that our borough has a rich, historic connection to football – we're the birthplace of England's only World Cup winning manager and captain – so it's only right that we have a modern, purpose-built hub that can hopefully one day create even more success stories.

Councillor Saima Ashraf

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement at Barking and Dagenham Council

Once complete, this purpose-built sports facility will become an integral part of community life and a first-class facility for a range of sports clubs. We‘re proud to be working alongside the council and our partners to deliver this project that not only supports players but also provides a venue for schools and grassroot sports clubs to hold meetings and education sessions.