Sustainable leisure centre approved

Staines in on track for a new highly-sustainable leisure centre.

Spelthorne Borough Council’s planning committee approved plans for a state-of-the-art centre in Knowle Green at its June 23 meeting.

It will include:

A 25m, eight lane swimming pool with micro filtration technology and spectator seating
A 20m x 10m learner pool and a splash pad
Sauna and steam rooms
Two dedicated group changing rooms, four family changing rooms and swim showers
A six-court sports hall, three squash courts, one with movable walls allowing for two additional badminton courts
A fitness suite with up to 200 work stations, free weights and warm-up area
One spin studio and two multi-purpose studios (with a capacity of 30) with views across Staines Park
Extensive bike storage and a 300-space car park
A roof-top design with artificial 3G football pitches

The energy efficient centre will be the first in the UK to be built to Passivhaus standards. The council expects it to use 60-70 per cent less energy than a typical modern leisure centre.

Chair of Spelthorne Borough Council’s community wellbeing committee, Cllr Sandra Dunn, said: “I am very excited that this important project has been given approval to proceed to the next stage.

“Feedback from residents has heavily influenced the location, design and facilities and we have worked hard to ensure the new building meets the gold standard for environmental credentials.

“This is going to be a fantastic hub for all the community, offering a great range of sports facilities and activities for everyone to enjoy. I am sure it will make a huge difference in encouraging residents to maintain healthy lifestyles. I look forward to seeing the plans take shape.”

The new centre will be built in the grounds of the existing centre.

Building work is due to start in early 2022, with facilities planned to open in 2024. The current centre will be demolished once the new one has been built.

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