News – The UK Leisure Framework

Category: News

10 February 2023

Derby Football Hub Ready For Kick-Off

Plans to progress the development of a proposed community grassroots football and sport hub on Derby Racecourse will be discussed at next week’s Cabinet meeting.

The proposed Hub would seek to address the shortfall in the city’s football pitch provision and would include the development of three new full-size 3G football turf pitches (FTPs) on the site, as well as the refurbishment of an existing FTP and a new changing pavilion including a community café and meeting space.

In addition to the improved pitch provision, the Hub development would include increased parking spaces as well as improved entry and exit to the site. Derby City Council’s Cabinet are looking to approve a total budget of £11.902m to enable the development to kick off, with funding proposed from the Council alongside a pending funding decision from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.

The pitch works would be delivered by a specialist contractor of the Football Foundation while the pavilion and car park aspects would be delivered by Alliance Leisure with plans for work to start onsite in Spring 2023.

Universal Civils have been appointed as the contractor for the scheme, with Abacus acting as project managers and Bradshaw Gass & Hope as architects.

A decision will be made on the plans at February’s Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 15 February.

We’re delighted to be coordinating this project that brings together lots of partners to provide a first-class facility for the local community.

Will Gardner

Business Development Manager, Alliance Leisure

This project is a worthy investment for the Council and will give our communities the grassroots football facilities they deserve. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the Football Hub take shape over the coming months.

Councillor Jerry Pearce

Derby City Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetpride, Public Spaces and Leisure

6 February 2023

Knaresborough Project Hits Major Milestone

The end of 2022 marked a huge milestone in the development of Knaresborough Leisure Centre with the signing of the steel by organisations involved in the construction project.

David Hawcroft and Councillor Matt Scott of Harrogate Borough Council, Stuart Winslow of Brimhams Active, Julian Donnelly from ISG and Sean Nolan from Alliance Leisure all joined Andrew Jones MP, MP for Harrogate, at the King James Road location where the £17m leisure and wellness centre will open this summer.

The project is being delivered by leisure development specialist Alliance Leisure and their construction partner ISG. The Knaresborough site is one of two leisure projects currently underway with another £11m investment being made at Harrogate Hydro. Both projects are being delivered via the UK Leisure Framework which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure.

The Knaresborough scheme includes a six-lane 25metre pool, activity pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, immersive cycling studio, café, electric car charging points, an outdoor play area and bicycle storage.

Providing a comment to the York Press, Councillor Stanley Lumley, the Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at Brimhams Active, said, “This new facility for Knaresborough will be a fantastic asset for the town and shows our commitment to investing in leisure provision across the district.

“Our vision at Brimhams Active is to create a healthier, more active population that is living longer, more independent and happier lives. And by supporting this vision through this level of investment, we’ll be able to achieve this.”

Incorporating high efficiency building materials, air source heat pumps and solar panels to reduce the carbon footprint, the centre is being built to the BREEAM standard of ‘Excellent’ which provides third-party certification of the assessment of the sustainability and energy performance for buildings. Achieving this BREEAM accreditation will contribute to the council’s vision to have a net-zero carbon economy by 2038.

2 February 2023

Work Begins on £12m Sports Facility

Former England footballer Teddy Sheringham and a host of partners came together to officially break ground and sign the steel beams on the new £12m state-of-the-art sports facility at Parsloes Park in Dagenham.

The development will feature a gym, fitness studio, a café, and meeting/multi-use rooms, as well as providing new shower and changing facilities to support 16 grass pitches.

The project is being funded by a £6.2million grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, as well as a £6.1million investment from Barking and Dagenham Council. The project has also received contributions from the London Marathon Charitable Trust and The Greater London Authority.

The new sports centre is being delivered by specialist leisure developer Alliance Leisure and their partners at Etec Group, Varsity Consulting and Bradshaw, Gass & Hope LLP, after being procured via the UK Leisure Framework, which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure.

The Sports Hub will be operated by the charity, Leisure United on behalf of the National Football Trust itself a registered charity.

It’s fantastic to see this development starting to take shape and when finished it will offer state-of-the-art community and sports facilities for people to take advantage of. It’s no secret that our borough has a rich, historic connection to football – we’re the birthplace of England’s only World Cup winning manager and captain – so it’s only right that we have a modern, purpose-built hub that can hopefully one day create even more success stories.

Councillor Saima Ashraf

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement at Barking and Dagenham Council

Once complete, this purpose-built sports facility will become an integral part of community life and a first-class facility for a range of sports clubs. We‘re proud to be working alongside the council and our partners to deliver this project that not only supports players but also provides a venue for schools and grassroot sports clubs to hold meetings and education sessions.

Greg Walker

Business Development Manager at Alliance Leisure

1 February 2023

The Impact of New ‘Levelling Up’ Funding Allocations

Last month, the government announced more than £300 million will be injected into leisure and wellbeing developments, thanks to a number of successful Levelling Up Fund (LUF) bids. The investment allocation is part of a total £2.1 billion round two ‘levelling up’ investment fund introduced to help tackle regional inequalities.

Managing Director of Alliance Leisure, Paul Cluett, says the following:

This news is most welcome. Still too much of the UK’s leisure stock is tired and struggling to meet the modern needs of the communities it serves. This funding will unlock opportunities for those councils who submitted successful bids to develop new active environment in tune with modern day community needs. This will help to deliver against much wider objectives such as creating more active populations through better engagement with disengaged groups, tackling health inequalities and promoting community cohesion. £300 million is an encouraging step in the right direction, but we know more investment is needed to maintain sustainable public sector provision. It is also encouraging to hear that the government intends this round of investment to be followed by a third round.

One of the projects to benefit from round 2 of LUF is the building of a new wellbeing hub in Caerphilly, Wales, courtesy of a successful bid to the tune of £20 million by Caerphilly County Borough Council supported by Alliance Leisure and Mutual Ventures. The development will be procured through the UK Leisure Framework, which is owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure.

The new facility, to be located in the heart of Caerphilly, will become the flagship leisure and wellbeing hub for the whole county borough. This project is due to be delivered by Alliance Leisure , with ISG named as the principal construction partner, Watson Batty as architects and Hadron Consulting taking care of project management, and is expected to complete by March 2025.

In addition to the investment from LUF, Caerphilly County Council is also contributing more than £13 million from its own reserves towards the new facility, creating a total funding pot of more than £33 million.

The wellbeing hub will include a swimming pool, fitness suite, active play centre for children and teenagers, spa and wellbeing facilities, a multi-purpose sports hall, catering facilities and several multi-use community rooms to support health, wellbeing and community cohesion.

The development is a key part of the council’s wider Sport and Active Recreation Strategy which aims to get more people, more active, more often. It also forms part of a major regeneration blueprint for Caerphilly town centre called the Caerphilly 2035 Place Making Plan – as well as the wider £500+ million place shaping programme for the wider county borough.

The UK Leisure Framework has already been utilised in the delivery of several other leisure projects made possible by the first round of LUF, including Clay Cross Active, a £24m new-build development on behalf of North East Derbyshire District Council, and Mablethorpe Leisure and Learning Hub which is in construction and due to open in the summer of 2024.

Artist’s impression of the new Caerphilly Leisure Centre

1 February 2023

Pitch Developments Underway In Ceredigion

Work has begun on new 3G pitch developments across three sites in Ceredigion, worth £794,000.

The three pitches are replacing existing pitches in two leisure centres and a primary school to provide higher quality surfaces for Ceredigion County Council which are specifically tailored to the highest standards in professional sport.

The pitches at Cardigan Leisure Centre and Synod Primary School have been designed to meet Welsh Rugby Union standards, as well as also meeting FIFA Quality standards. These sites will have a new 60mm 3G surface implemented, as well as an integrated shock pad.

The final 3G pitch at Lampeter Leisure Centre is also getting a total refresh, which is tailored to standards from the Fédération Internationale de Hockey. This will include a complete resurfacing of the sand dressed hockey pitch.

The projects were procured using the UK Leisure Framework, and will be carried out by the expert teams from Surfacing Standards Ltd. and South Wales Sports Grounds.

Alliance Leisure are delighted to support the creation of facilities that will provide communities in Ceredigion with top-quality surfaces on which they can play all manner of sports and keep active.

16 November 2022

Multimillion Pound Regeneration Project Complete in Halesowen

Residents in Halesowen, West Midlands are now enjoying a completely re-invented leisure experience at the town’s leisure centre thanks to a major upgrade of its leisure centre

The Dudley Council development, delivered by Alliance Leisure through the UK Leisure Framework, has seen Halesowen Leisure Centre transformed into a vibrant activity hub with a new mix of facilities that caters for everyone.

The extensive project was carried out in two phases. The first began in February 2021 which saw the conversion of the former learner pool and changing rooms to a new reception area, café and large adventure play area perfect for families. Further space conversion saw a new wellness suite, complete with a power assisted ‘gym’ to encourage engagement from older adults and those new to exercise, along with an extension of the existing gym and studio refurbishment. Outside, the building’s façade was replaced and landscaping works carried out to improve the overall visual appeal and entrance. This phase completed in December last year.

Phase 2 followed immediately and completed in October 2022. This included the reconfiguration of the pool area to create a 25-metre main pool and 12.5 mere learner pool supported by a new changing village. All facilities cater for those with accessibility issues, creating opportunities for use by all members of the community.

Working through the UK Leisure Framework, Alliance leisure worked closely with construction partner, Speller Metcalfe, and Project Managers Axiom, to deliver both phases of the project.

Rob Lashford, regional director at Speller Metcalfe, said: “It has been fantastic to get to the completion of construction works at the leisure centre – in particular the swimming pool which will be a highlight for users. We know how important facilities such as these are to the local community, and we’re delighted to have worked with the Council, Axiom and Alliance Leisure to make this scheme a reality for Halesowen.”

This project marks the completion of a multi-site leisure regeneration programme for DMBC. Working in partnership with Alliance Leisure, through the UK Leisure Framework, owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure, the Council has also delivered a new-build £18.2 million leisure centre in Dudley and an extensive re-modelling of the existing Crystal Leisure Centre in Stourbridge.

Councillor Simon Phipps, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Enterprise at Dudley Council, says:

“The completion of extensive work significantly improves our leisure provision for residents across the Borough.

“In partnership with Alliance Leisure, we set about designing a future where everyone’s leisure needs are catered for. Investment now will create a sustainable future for our leisure centres that will support the welfare of our Borough’s population for generations to come.”

Read The Case STudy

12 November 2022

UK-First Repair Project Complete in County Durham

Consett Swimming Pool has reopened to the public following the first repair project of its kind in the UK, led by development partner Alliance Leisure.

The pool, which is located at Consett Leisure Centre, was closed for safety reasons for more than two years by Durham County Council, which became aware of significant technical issues when it took over the management of the centre in 2018.

The finishes to the pool tanks and surrounds were failing resulting in tiles cracking and coming away from the walls as well as significant leaks and water loss.

Consett Pool opened in 2015 following the development of a new academy and leisure centre. The original construction contractor Carillion, which would ordinarily be responsible for rectifying the issues, went into liquidation.

In 2021, the Council appointed Alliance Leisure under the UK Leisure Framework, which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure, to lead the remediation works with a team that included contractors ISG and swimming pool engineers FT Leisure.

In a UK first, the entire main pool has been relined with a stainless steel tank using RenovAction technology from Myrtha Pools, which was prefabricated off-site. Installed on top of the existing tiles, the tank provides a complete waterproof solution and is more cost effective than replacing the tiles. New finishes were also applied to the centre’s smaller pool and splash play area.

Scheduled to take up to 12 months to complete owing to the extensive nature of the defects, the works were completed in just six months.

27 October 2022

Development Partners Alliance Leisure Support 2023 Workforce State of Mind Survey

The UK Leisure Framework’s appointed Development Partner, Alliance Leisure, has offered official support to the 2023 Workforce State of Mind Survey, a project exploring the wellbeing of those working in the fitness and active leisure sector.

Now entering into its third year, the Workforce State of Mind Survey, owned and managed by Workplace Mental Wealth and backed by The Chartered Institute for The Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), will, this year, benefit from the official support of Alliance Leisure, Active IQ, Les Mills and Myzone.

“Gaining the support of such well-known and respected employers in the sector is fantastic for the Survey and will help us to elevate the visibility and importance of the project at all levels of the workforce” says Lindsey Simpson, Co-founder of Workplace Mental Wealth. “Working closely with us, CIMSPA and our Supporters will help to promote the survey to their extended networks, driving participation and helping to gain wide representation from across our sector.”

Last year, the survey, which is anonymous, reported that 57 per cent of people working in fitness and active leisure have experienced a mental health issue in the last 12 months, up from 53 per cent the year before. Only 11 per cent say that anybody at work checks in on their mental health, down from 19 per cent in 2021.

Simpson continues. “As we enter the third year of The Survey, it will be interesting to see how individuals in the sector are faring and, crucially, what employers are doing to support their teams through what continues to be, for many, challenging times.

“Whilst we adapt each year’s Survey to maintain continuity – we will be introducing some new questions this year. It will be fascinating to see what our third year of data reveals about what’s happening and where action is needed.

The Survey was set up in 2021 to provide insight into the mental wellbeing of the workforce and to empower employers to better support their people.

Sarah Watts, CEO of Alliance Leisure, adds:

With nearly 6 in 10 leisure sector workers experiencing a mental health issue in the last 12 months we need to do more as an industry to raise awareness and provide help to those that need it. Alliance Leisure are therefore very proud to support the Workforce State of Mind Survey which aims to do just that.

Katie Lewis, co-founder of Workplace Mental Wealth, adds: “With the help of our official Supporter, CIMSPA and employers across the sector, we will encourage as many people as possible to take part in The Survey. Our ambition has always been to use The Survey as a catalyst for change that will lead to a happier, healthier and more prosperous workforce.”

The 2023 Survey will go live via the Workplace Mental Wealth website in January 2023, with results released mid-March 2023.

12 October 2022

A New, Sustainable Approach to Pitches

Works have begun on the resurfacing of an 11-a-side, FIFA standard, 3G football pitch at Stirling Sporting Village. As part of the works, the old synthetic pitch and shock pad will be lifted and recycled at the UK’s first recycling plant for end-of-life synthetic turf pitches (EOLP). The new plant, based in Grangemouth and owned by the Sportex Group will help to move the disposal of artificial pitches towards a circular economy where materials are re-cycled back into the industry they came from rather than contributing to landfill.

Active Stirling manage Stirling Sporting Village. This regeneration project forms part of the charity’s 2021-24 business plan to improve people’s lives by getting the inactive active and the active more active more often. The pitch has been playing a key role in the community for the last 15 years, hosting many school, community and club activities but as confirmed by tests performed by Sport Lab, had reached the end of its viable lifespan. The resurfacing works will not only ensure the continuation of activities already underway, but they will also enable the extension of reach to new community groups.

This project is also environmentally responsible. Using Sportex’s existing recycling technology, sand and SRB rubber from the old pitch will be reclaimed and treated through a series of unique processes to be made available to existing industry standards for re-use within future sports facility projects. With the infill removed, the old synthetic turf will be shredded, cleaned, and processed through a bespoke plastic agglomeration process to facilitate the production of ‘TREKboards’; a 100% recycled plastic kickboard product that will be installed around the perimeter of the new facility.

The project is being led by Alliance Leisure and their specialist pitch Consultant Sports Labs through the UK Leisure Framework which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure. Works began in September and are anticipated to complete in 6-8 weeks.

14 August 2022

Our Commitment to Biodiversity

We are committed to improving the environments that we live and work in, whether natural or built.

Our Investors in the Environment award demonstrates our continuing pledge to a greener way of working but we are also focussed on ensuring our developments are sustainable and consider their impact on the local environment.

Over the past 2 years we have been working closely with local Councils to deliver energy efficiencies under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS). More than £30m of funded projects have been completed or in progress, delivered in partnership with Leisure Energy and the UK Leisure Framework. You can read more about these schemes here.

More recently our attention has turned to biodiversity and the requirement that under the Environment Act 2021 all planning permissions granted in England, with a few exemptions, will have to deliver 10% biodiversity net gain (BNG) from November 2023. The Planning Advisory Service from the LGA has produced a number of useful resources for local authorities moving towards this target – access them here.

So, what is BNG? Biodiversity net gain is an approach to development, and/or land management, that aims to leave the natural environment in a measurably better state than it was beforehand. Biodiversity net gain delivers measurable improvements for biodiversity by creating or enhancing habitats in association with development. Biodiversity net gain can be achieved on-site, off-site or through a combination of on-site and off-site measures.

A number of our projects are already committed to biodiversity net gain and we’ll be sharing more on those projects as they progress.

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