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Peterlee Leisure Centre

Partners: ISG, GT3 Architects, Axiom, Play Revolution, Hutchi, Bowling Vision, OBL, UK Leisure Framework (managed by Denbighshire Leisure)

About the Project

Peterlee Leisure Centre was re-opened in October 2023 following a £4.5m redevelopment to widen the appeal of the venue. After consultation with residents, a range of exciting new facilities were introduced including 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.

The new bowling centre exemplifies how we consult and co-create solutions with our local authority partners to provide tailored solutions that meet local needs. Open to the public and leisure centre members, the ten-pin bowling alley and bar will allow the venue to tap into the night-time economy to drive uncreased footfall and revenue.

Sean Nolan

Business Development Manager, Alliance Leisure

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Abbey Leisure Centre

Project Overview

To redevelop the existing Abbey Leisure Centre facilities as part of the council’s Leisure Transformation Programme.

Client: Durham County Council

Project value: £3.5 million

Partners: IS G, Axiom, GT3 Architects, UK Leisure Framework

About the Project

Opened to the public in July 2023, this project forms part of the council’s multi-million-pound Leisure Transformation Programme, which includes the refurbishment of existing sites such as Abbey in order to improve the county’s leisure stock. Alliance Leisure is delivering a number of projects for the programme, which will introduce a range of new activities and services to help improve health and wellbeing outcomes and sustain the council’s provision into the future.

The centre’s four-court sports hall has been converted into family entertainment area with distinct zones catering for toddlers, juniors and teens. Attractions include soft play, a trampolining zone and an interactive Tag Active Challenge Arena including vertical obstacle towers that players must climb and descend in the quickest time possible. Incorporating Tag Active technology, players’ times are recorded and displayed on a leaderboard. The family entertainment area is supported by a new cafe, adding a social space to the centre, as well as party rooms.

It’s rewarding to work on projects where we are able to give leisure facilities a new lease of life, by providing the latest attractions that bring the whole family together. We are proud to have played our part in delivering this project and look forward to seeing the centre thrive for years to come.

Craig Savage

Alliance Leisure Framework Lead, ISG

On the first floor of the building, the gym has been relocated and doubled in size. The existing gym has been converted to a group exercise studio, while the provision of a second studio allows the centre to offer a full programme of group cycling sessions.

A new wellbeing suite has been created in one of the centre’s two squash courts. Offering specialist power assisted equipment from Innerva, the suite will provide a unique exercise and rehabilitation solution ideal for older adults, people suffering from long term health conditions, and those recovering from injury or returning to exercise. It is hoped the new suite will help people to become more active, improve their overall health and even act as a stepping stone into wider leisure facilities. The changing areas and sauna have also been refurbished as part of the project.

The project was delivered via the UK Leisure Framework, which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure LTD (DLL), with ISG as principal build contractor, Axiom as project manager and GT3 as architect for the scheme.

Our brief was to review Durham County Council’s leisure estate and develop solutions for centres across the county to meet the needs of each local demographic. Our research showed that Abbey Leisure Centre was not being used to its full potential. We therefore proposed to transform the site into a family focused centre offering facilities for toddlers to teens alongside an expanded health and fitness offer.

Sean Nolan

Business Development Manager, Alliance Leisre

Above membership income targets 10 months after opening

New members in 10 months

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Bidston Sports & Activity Centre

Bidston Sports and Activity Centre

Project Overview

To reposition and redevelop Wirral Tennis & Sports Centre as an activity hub for the whole family.

Client: Wirral Council

Project value: £2.7 million

Partners: Universal Civils, Pozzoni Architects, Play Revolution, UK Leisure Framework

About the Project

As part of its ambition to encourage an active community and create a commercially sustainable future for its leisure provision, Wirral Council has invested £2.7 million in the repositioning and development of Wirral Tennis & Sports Centre as an activity hub for the whole family. The facility has been renamed Bidston Sports & Activity Centre.

Alliance Leisure were appointed as the council’s leisure development partner and delivered the project through the UK Leisure Framework, which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure, the new destination offers residents and visitors a multitude of experiences to encourage movement and social interactions, helping to promote community cohesion and encourage good health through physical activity.

The facility is owned by Wirral Council and managed by Active Wirral, although the tennis provision is now managed directly by the Lawn Tennis Association due to a direct new partnership for the NGB with Wirral Council.

The facility is divided into three zones; ‘adventure play’, ‘fitness’ and ‘tennis’. Each zone is served by a central remodelled reception area, and supported by a large communal food and beverage facility with a dual servery.

For youngsters aged 8 and above, and also adults, there is TAGactive arena, a digitally gamified obstacle course, whilst a large soft play area will cater for younger children. This area has been designed to encourage families to spend active time together in a safe, stimulating and fun environment.

A new fitness suite, equipped with a comprehensive selection of cardiovascular and strength training equipment, supported by a dedicated, immersive group cycle studio provides state of the art training facilities for all ages and abilities, whilst tennis remains an integral part of the offer, thanks to the retained provision of six indoor courts.

Supporting Alliance Leisure in project delivery is Universal Group as principal contractor, Pozzoni Architects and Play Revolution, the designers and supplier of the TAGactive and adventure play structures. Works began in November 2022.

Working with Alliance Leisure – a proven leisure development specialist - has been extremely positive. At all stages of the development, we had confidence that the project was being managed and directed by those with decades of previous experience and that we were benefiting from efficiencies at all levels of the supply chain. The finished project looks and feels amazing and will enhance the lives of everyone within the community for many years to come.

Andrew McCartan

Assistant Director, Wirral Council

The facility has been transformed from a sports facility into a multi-activity destination. Through the various activities, there is now a provision for all ages and abilities, creating a place where the whole family can get involved. Extensive research has evidenced that active children are more likely to develop into active adults. Encouraging active play from an early age sets the foundations for an active adult population and all the benefits that delivers for individuals and communities

Tom Gardner

Business Development Manager, Alliance Leisure

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Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre

Harrogate Leisure & Wellness Centre

Project Overview

To deliver a major refurbishment of the existing facilities, bringing them up to a modern standard and providing high quality activity areas for the local community.

Client: North Yorkshire Council

Project value: £13.5 million

Partners: ISG Construction, Axiom Project Services, GT3 Architects, UK Leisure Framework

About the Project

This project saw a major refurbishment of the existing facilities at the previously named Harrogate Hydro, now called Harrogate Leisure & Wellness Centre.

New facilities include a new 400sqm fitness suite, a Les Mills immersive cycle studio, a sauna and steam suite, plus a reconfigured reception and café.

Works have also included extending the building’s footprint and substantial reimagining throughout to create a bright, modern offering more in keeping with the needs of today’s vibrant and diverse community.

Existing pool and leisure facilities have been completely overhauled. In the pool, a new diving structure has been installed so the centre can continue to support up and coming diving talent in the way that it has done for Olympians, such as Jack Laugher MBE and Oliver Dingley.

Outside, the building has been remodelled to complement the surrounding environment with landscaping, a reconfigured car park, bicycle storage and electric vehicle charging points. As well as this, energy efficient, air source heat pumps will replace the existing gas boilers, and 250 solar panels have been installed along with new energy monitoring and control systems.

increase in learn to swim programme uptake

above membership target

divers on diving programme

The re-opening of the new and improved Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre will ensure that continues to be the case. It is also pleasing that energy-efficiency has been at the heart of the project, in line with our climate pledges, and this will serve as an example for other facilities across the county.

Councillor Simon Myers

Executive Member for Culture, Arts and Housing, North Yorkshire Council

Investment in the old Hydro has transformed the facility and future proofed leisure provision for many years to come. In addition to the visible improvements, there is so much that has gone on behind the scenes to make this centre more energy efficient. Air source heat pumps have replaced existing gas boilers and 250 solar panels have been installed along with new energy monitoring and control systems. These measures are expected to half the carbon footprint of the leisure centre. This is great news for the council’s net zero targets, great news for residents and ultimately, great news for the planet.

James Foley

Commercial Director, Alliance Leisure

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Heolddu Leisure Centre

Our Brief

To deliver updated and modern facilities to the existing centre, which had become outdated and was no longer fit for purpose.

Client: Caerphilly Borough Council

Project value: £106k

Partners: Universal Civils, Orbit4, TA6, UK Leisure Framework

About the Project

This small works project completed in the early summer of 2023 and breathed new life into a tired fitness facility. The existing fitness equipment was beyond its life expectancy and the standard of the facility had fallen behind customers’ expectations. With a brand-new facility on the horizon for the town of Caerphilly, the council wanted to keep the gap in quality as small as possible between their leisure facilities.

Caerphilly Council engaged with Alliance Leisure to recruit the right partners to deliver this project on-time and within a tight budget. Orbit4 were chosen for their expertise in securing the best value fitness equipment and Universal for their knowledge and experience on small refurbishment projects. The team from TA6, Alliance’s own team of experts, focused on project success.

The completed development comprised of new fitness equipment in the fitness suite, wall graphics and design features to modernize the spaces.

Design Considerations

Working together with the client and partners, we were able to maximise the space and thoughfully create a functional and synergetic area.

Mix of equipment suitable for expected users
Digital screens with on-brand content
Compact gym pod and welcome seating
Maximised floor space
Dedicated stretch area
On-brand graphics to bring space to life
Compact rig creating small group opportunities
Modern colour scheme

Before

After

Alliance did a great job on this project to ensure we got real value-for-money. Gillian and the team were always available when needed and the new fitness suite looks fantastic, generating positive customer feedback.
Using the UK Leisure Framework enabled a large degree of flexibility, allowing us to move forwards swiftly and start seeing the financial benefits far more quickly.

Jeff Reynolds

Sport & Leisure Services Facilities Manager

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Grangemouth Sports Complex

Project Value: £450k

Completion Date: April 2023

Partners and suppliers: Workspace, Axiom, BGH, Hutchison Technologies, Les Mills

After the introduction of Scotland’s first Immersive spin studio at the Mariner Centre in January 2020, we are delighted to announce the opening of a second studio at Grangemouth Sports Complex.

Following practical completion of this project (procured through the UK Leisure Framework which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure), the new cycle studio has now opened its doors to the public. The space will utilise the latest virtual reality technology and programming to take riders of all abilities on a full immersive sensory adventure that will elevate the indoor cycling experience to a whole new level.

The new studio will be larger than the studio at the Mariner Centre, and contains double the number of bikes to accommodate more riders. The bikes will be the latest iteration of the world renowned M3i Keiser bikes offering participants access to one of the most technologically advanced static bikes on the market. In this cinema-scale experience, the 3.1m tall screen will showcase digitally created worlds, which customers can cycle through, taking their 40-minute multi-peak cycling workout to a different level and burning some serious calories!

In addition to instructor-led classes, virtual classes are also being launched. This gives the client the ability to offer safe, effective and highly motivating classes throughout the day – even during times that are traditionally quiet, such as the afternoons. Individuals will simply hop on a bike and be taken through a full workout by a digital coach viewed on a large screen. Click here for more information about Les Mill immersive fitness.

Alliance Leisure successfully delivered our new immersive cycle studio to the highest possible standard and the project was completed on time and within budget.

In approaching this major investment at Grangemouth Sports Complex, we once again used the UK Leisure Framework. The UK Leisure Framework has a proven track record in designing and creating innovative builds across the UK, which we experienced first-hand in the successful delivery of our first immersive cycle studio at the Mariner Leisure Centre in 2020.

We are grateful to have chosen to work with Alliance Leisure on this building project and would welcome the opportunity to work with them again in future.

Susie Crawford

Business Development Manager, Falkirk Council

This cycle studio will bring a whole new exercise experience to the local community. As technology and digitalisation continues to evolve, working with partners such as Hutchison Technologies and Les Mills we can create truly engaging fitness experiences that keep people returning time and time again

Jonny Curley

Senior Business Development Manager, Alliance Leisure

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Leybourne Lakes Country Park

Project Value: £890k

Completion Date: September 2022

Partners and suppliers: Etec, Saunders Boston Architects, Savernake Property Consultants, UK Leisure Framework, OBL Group

Completed in the late summer of 2022, Alliance Leisure delivered a new café next to the lake at Leybourne Lakes Country Park, which is operated by TMactive. The £890k investment comprised of an eco café building, decking for outdoor seating overlooking the lake, new toilet facilities and a watersports reception and changing area.

With thousands of visitors every month the park needed a catering destination and an upgrade to the existing watersports facilities. The project was developed in an area of natural landscape and as such biodiversity and ecological assessments were extremely important to ensure that all our partners worked within the tightly restricted parameters.

Visitors since opening (first 9 months)

Dog Treats Sold (puppucinos, ice-cream and biscuits)

Some key areas that were considered throughout the development included:

Energy Saving Design
The buildingorientation and form maximises free solar gain in winter from the low level sun to reduce winter heating loads.
In the summer months, the deep roof overhang and covered deck provides solar shading to the building, negating the need for mechanical cooling.
The shallow depth of the building combined with windows and doors along the long elevation allows natural ventilation throughout the main seating area without the need for mechanical plant.

Sustainability and Ecological Protection
Create a long-term sustainable financial position.
Careful design to minimise the impact of the building on the local and wider environment.
The simple design and use of durable materials to minimise building fabric maintenance and maximise the building lifespan.
Consideration of flood resilient design and materials as the area is within a flood risk zone.
Redistribution of soil and spoil across the site for landscaping improvements and re-use to minimise off site waste.
Sustainable drainage design strategy to minimise run off into adjacent watercourses leading to flooding. Rainwater is captured and returned to the lake in a controlled manner.
Retention and protection of existing trees combined with additional native planting and landscaping.
Careful design and minimal external lighting to reduce light pollution and interference with resident protected species such as bats. Provision of additional bat boxes.

Systems
Suds strategy for recirculating rainwater into the lake from the building.
Drainage to be filtered and clean discharge recirculated to the lake.

Ecology
Native planting and vegetation. Root protection zones of trees.
Reduced external lighting – Reduced impact on bats – Reduced energy use.
Inclusion of bat Boxes.

Technology Systems
A roof photovoltaic array linked to state of the art Tesla batteries to capture and store free solar electricity to be used in the building operation.
A water source heat pump, with collectors in the adjacent lake, combined with an underfloor piped heating system throughout to provide a low carbon space and water heating solution.
On site bio waste water management system to filter and treat waste before returning it back into the water system.

Sustainable & Ethical Product Choices

Coffee brand: Grumpy Mule https://grumpymule.co.uk/pages/making-a-difference

Tea brand: Clipper

The world’s largest Fairtrade tea brand. Their teabag, strings and tags are unbleached, the teabags are sealed with plant based bio materials and so can be composted, and all of the packaging is recyclable.

https://www.clipper-teas.com/about/our-ethics/ and their sustainability practises can be found https://www.clipper-teas.com/about/our-sustainability/

The feedback from visitors to the park has been fantastic. Whilst most people can't see the technology that's gone into making this project as eco-friendly as possible, we're seeing the benefits through our low utility costs and carbon saving. Alliance Leisure were instrumental in shaping the project and ensured we had the right team of suppliers for the job. Throughout the project Alliance have led the team to deliver a fantastic facility for our local community and destination visitors.

Martin Guyton

Chief Executive, tmactive

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Braunstone Leisure Centre

Project Value: £400k

Completion Date: December 2022

The extension of the gym at Braunstone Leisure Centre opened in December 2022 after a £400k refurbishment.

A large proportion of the gym equipment had not been replaced since the centre’s launch in 2004 so the facility was starting to feel tired. With the equipment:member ratio of 43, well above the industry benchmark of 25–30 members for each station, the gym offering needed to expand to prevent capacity issues leading to cancellations from members not being able to access equipment at peak times.

The development saw Alliance Leisure expand the gym to 90 stations by converting the Sport Services offices at Braunstone into gym space.

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Grange Paddocks Sports Pitches

Project Value: £950k

Completion Date: September 2022

The development of the 3G pitches at Grange Paddocks Leisure Centre completed in September 2022 after an interesting construction phase that uncovered some amazing archaeological finds, since featured on BBC 2’s Digging for Britain!

This was a three phased project that included the demolition of the old leisure centre which had recently been built on the site by Willmott Dixon, construction of new service yard and installation of 3G pitch itself.

The new leisure centre project had not included the outdoor pitches and there was a need to provide the local football teams with a more suitable surface than the current grass pitches. With parts of the area prone to flooding due to an adjacent stream, it was agreed that a cork pitch would be more environmentally friendly.

The development was delivered by SSL and Etec, via the UK Leisure Framework which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure.

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Spence Street Sports Centre

Project Value: £1million

Completion Date: 21st October 2022

The development of Spence Street Sports Centre was born from the need to update a dilapidated facility in order to improve the wellbeing and inclusion amongst the local community.

The £1m investment has resulted in a fully refurbished centre providing a new fitness suite, studio and toilet facilities.

A superb project team have come together to deliver what was a challenging development at times, working in a tight urban area with adjoining industrial units. Thanks to Etec Group, Savernake Property Consultants, Show Off Media and Matrix.

The project was delivered via the UK Leisure Framework, which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure.

Our leisure centres are hugely valued by local people and play a very important role in health promotion across the city. We are making this major investment in facilities to encourage more people to active and help improve the health and wellbeing of our local communities.