The PEAK.

When The PEAK launched in 2009 following a £27.3 million investment, it represented a new era for Stirling’s leisure provision and charitable trust, Active Stirling which was formed in 2006 and delivers sport and physical activity on behalf of local authority Stirling Council.

Sitting at the heart of Stirling Sports Village, The PEAK has been huge success story. Since opening it has consistently attracted between 2,000 and 2,500 visitors every day becoming one of Stirling’s top three visitor attractions.

However, this success brought new challenges. Originally designed to accommodate around 3,500 members, The PEAK had grown to serve more than 8,000 members and the existing gym and studio space were struggling to meet increasing customer demand.

Active Stirling needed to solve these challenges. Having previously worked with Alliance Leisure through the UK Leisure Framework, owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd (DLL), on the refurbishment of an 11-a-side pitch, Active Stirling partnered with us again.

We worked with Active Stirling to identify how the existing space could be transformed to increase capacity without compromising the broader facility offer.

Research showed that the nine court sports hall at The PEAK was running at just 59% occupancy. By repurposing three of these courts, we were able to introduce a new mezzanine structure, doubling the size of the first-floor gym to 200 stations.

We also created two new purpose-built studios on the ground floor bringing the total number of studios at the centre to six. This intelligent use of space enabled the introduction of modern fitness equipment and flexible studio environments, significantly enhancing the overall customer experience without the need for new build expansion.

The PEAK is part of Stirling Sports Village. The breadth of facilities has enabled Active Stirling to create an inclusive, cradle-to-grave offer, serving everyone from young families to its oldest member, aged 92. Active Stirling also already delivers approximately £7.5 million in social value, measured by 4Global.

For Active Stirling, increasing participation and membership is fundamental to delivering its charitable objectives. Every customer helps fund programmes that tackle inequality, improve health outcomes and remove barriers to sport and physical activity across Stirlingshire.

The new studios and extended gym have allowed the trust to expand its programme of classes and fitness opportunities for people of all ages and abilities.

The 9-month construction project immediately started delivering commercial returns. In just three months, The PEAK had gained 1,500 membership sales. Today, membership exceeds 9,000, making The PEAK independently verified as having the highest membership for a public sector single site in the UK and one of highest in Europe. The centre is on track to reach 10,000 in the next six months.