Peterlee Leisure Centre.

The Peterlee Leisure Centre redevelopment was born from a clear vision: to create a space that meets the evolving needs of the community while supporting Durham County Council’s strategic goals around health, wellbeing, and economic regeneration.

Peterlee is one of most deprived areas in County Durham and some wards are in the most 10% deprived communities nationally.  Over 57% of children live in relative or absolute poverty and 34% of pensioners live alone.

Faced with such stark health and social challenges, the target market was broad and inclusive—families, young people, older adults, and those currently inactive. Through extensive community consultation, residents expressed a desire for more family-friendly, social, and accessible facilities. This feedback directly shaped the design: the addition of a ten-pin bowling alley, soft play, and café responded to calls for more intergenerational and social spaces, while the expanded gym and new wellbeing suite addressed health and rehabilitation needs.

Engagement didn’t stop at consultation. The project was co-created with local stakeholders, including public health teams, schools, and leisure users. This collaborative approach ensured the final design was not only fit for purpose but embraced by the community.

The result is a centre that reflects local identity and ambition—offering a unique blend of fun, fitness, and wellbeing under one roof.

The range of exciting new facilities include an eight-lane bowling alley and a bar, which now occupies half of the original sports hall. Four of the bowling lanes feature an immersive, interactive scoring experience from Bowling Vision which uses augmented reality, light and sound to give guests fast, fun and engaging games. ​

Other new facilities include a soft play adventure area for children and the centre’s first café serving healthy food and drink options. Improvements have also been made to the centre’s fitness offer. The gym has been relocated to a larger space and now features Technogym equipment and technology, while the introduction of a third fitness studio allows the centre to provide dedicated cycling and mind-body spaces as well as virtual exercise classes. A new wellbeing suite means the centre can also expand the range of health services it offers including rehabilitation and smoking cessation sessions. ​

A range of energy efficiency measures have been installed across the site after the council secured funding from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS). These include high efficiency LED lighting throughout, water saving devices and solar panels to produce electricity as well as replacing gas boilers with air source heat pumps. These measures are expected to reduce carbon dioxide usage by 300 tonnes a year.

Since reopening, Peterlee Leisure Centre has seen a dramatic increase in engagement, particularly among families and previously inactive groups. The introduction of tenpin bowling and soft play has attracted new audiences, while the expanded gym and wellbeing suite have supported health interventions such as smoking cessation and rehabilitation programmes.

Notable highlights include:

• Footfall has more than trebled to 339,500 visits
• Fitness memberships have increased by 72% to over 2,200 members
• 12% increase in Learn to Swim courses
• High levels of physical activity participation from financially-challenged households (49% of usage)

The immersive bowling experience, featuring augmented reality and interactive scoring, has proven especially popular, drawing in users from across the region and supporting the local night-time economy.  More than 48,000 visits have been made to the bowling and soft play facilities.

Feedback from users has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the centre’s welcoming atmosphere, modern facilities, and inclusive design. Schools and community groups have also embraced the space, using it for physical education, social events, and health programmes.