Bridge Park Community Leisure Centre, located in Stonebridge, will permanently close its doors on Thursday, 31 July, to allow plans to build a new leisure centre.

The new centre will include adult education space and modern community facilities that better meet the local community’s needs.

The redevelopment of Bridge Park is part of a wider master plan to transform the local area radically. Over the coming years, this could unlock £600 million of investment along the Hillside corridor in Stonebridge.

The current leisure centre is based in a converted bus garage. Its condition has deteriorated, and it requires very substantial capital investment to keep the site open and safe on a sustainable basis. Major and expensive works to the lifts, roof, and other key parts of the building are needed. The report before the Brent Cabinet explained that this expense would not be a sensible use of limited council funding, particularly when there are proposals to build a new and larger, state-of-the-art centre for the community to use for years to come.

The proposals for the new development include:

  • New flexible community spaces,
  • An improved adult education centre,
  • Fully accessible public gardens,
  • Hundreds of new and affordable homes to meet the growing demand for housing
  • A significantly larger leisure centre includes a larger swimming pool, gym, sports hall, fitness studios and a cafe.

The proposals aim to create a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable neighbourhood that will meet the needs of future generations. Additionally, the development will create a neighbourhood that helps tackle climate change with greener buildings, more trees, and areas that support wildlife.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, said: “Brent Council’s Cabinet agreed to close the current Bridge Park Community Leisure Centre. We will be investing millions of pounds to create a new leisure centre and wider regeneration of the area to better meet the needs Stonebridge and its local community.

“The investment in Bridge Park will also provide much needed new homes, new jobs, a new skills hub and new community and green spaces. It will be a place that everyone can feel proud to call their own. I want to thank everyone that has been involved throughout this process, from residents, members of the leisure centre and staff, we look forward to the next exciting chapter for Bridge Park.”

With alternative leisure facilities available at Vale Farm Sports Centre and Willesden Sports Centre, both within a short distance of Bridge Park, the council has informed users and valued staff to support transition arrangements.

The nearby Unisys buildings, which stand empty over the North Circular, have been derelict for over twenty years. Brent Council is working with Stonebridge Real Estate Development Limited (SRED), the owners of the Unisys buildings, to redevelop Bridge Park and the neighbouring land.

 

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