Birmingham gets fit for purpose as £7.5m investment in leisure services is unveiled

Leisure services in Birmingham have received a major boost with the opening of a new £7.5m leisure centre in Erdington.

The new Erdington Leisure Centre features a 25-metre swimming pool, a teaching pool, a 70-station gym and a community room/studio space. A wide range of fitness classes as well as children’s holiday play activities and birthday parties will also be available.

The brand new building has taken just over a year to construct and has opened almost a month ahead of schedule and on budget.

The £7.5m is part of a city-wide investment of nearly £40m by Birmingham City Council in its leisure services and is the first of four new complexes to be completed.

Birmingham Community Leisure Trust (BCLT), working in partnership with the city council has overseen the project and will manage the new centre.

Brian Taylor, chair, BCLT, said: “The transformation of this Erdington site since we stood here last summer is truly impressive. I am very proud to hand over such a high quality, purpose built facility to our community and I invite everyone, whatever their age and whatever sport they enjoy, to take the opportunity to come and use this brilliant new centre.”

Birmingham City Council’s Deputy Leader Cllr Ian Ward, who has been leading the city’s bid to secure the English nomination for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, added: “I am delighted that our residents in Erdington and the surrounding area now have a brand new leisure centre – ahead of schedule.

“Despite the considerable budgetary restraints we face, we will continue to support and encourage people to remain active and pursue a healthy lifestyle.”

Construction of replacement leisure centres is ongoing at Stechford and Northfield and a fourth centre is planned for the Icknield Port Loop scheme. This latter project will also be built and managed by BCLT.

The Trust has also delivered a programme of refurbishments to Fox Hollies Leisure Centre; Cocks Moors Woods Leisure Centre; Beeches Leisure Centre and Wyndley Leisure Centre.

ISG Construction has undertaken the construction of the new leisure centres at Erdington, Stechford and Northfield to designs by Calderpeel Architects.