Driven forward by £20m of government Levelling Up funding, announced by government in October 2021, the new community and leisure centre on the Kingsland Campus will support the post-pandemic health and wellbeing of the area’s community. 

The project has been procured through the Pagabo National Framework for Major Works. Facilities will include an eight-lane, 25m swimming pool, which is more than double the size of the pool at the existing Houghton Regis Leisure Centre. To enhance the swimming experience, there will be a learner pool with a movable floor to raise or lower the depth for swimming lessons as well as a separate splash pool. 

A 127-station fitness suite and exercise studio will cater for a range of different classes. It will also include two squash courts, a café, community space, a crèche, a children’s outdoor play zone, an outdoor fitness trail and enjoyable public areas. 

Plans also include improving the car park and cycle path routes to enhance the area’s overall connectivity. 

The new centre will be designed to be adaptable to meet both current and future user requirements, using materials which will maximise energy efficiency and minimise carbon emissions.

“Post-pandemic, leisure centres across the country have played a key role in bringing communities back together and engaging people in healthy lifestyles that will improve their overall wellbeing,” said David Rowsell, area director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Northern Home Counties.

“The Kingsland Campus Leisure Centre will be a great example of how to deliver a state-of-the-art leisure space that not only fulfils the needs of the local council and residents, but which does so in a timely, sustainable manner.”