Crumbling Black Country leisure centre to be demolished for £24m upgrade - here's when

Haden Hill Leisure Centre in Barrs Road, Cradley Heath, closed in March last year ahead of the multi-million-pound renovation which includes a new swimming pool.

The work can now start after a planning application was given the green light by Sandwell Council.

The £24 million upgrade will see the leisure centre’s crumbling swimming pool, which has been closed since March 2023 after the ceiling collapsed, demolished and rebuilt with the rest of the building “extensively upgraded.”

The new albeit smaller facilities will include a community pool, learner pool, sauna and steam rooms, a gym, two dance studios, an indoor cycling studio, sports hall and cafe.

Sandwell Council said the work should be finished by October 2026.

A report outlining the council’s decision said: “The principle of a leisure facility at the site is longestablished and the proposed redevelopment raises no significant concerns from a policy and design perspective and would have no impact on the amenity of the surrounding area.

“The building would be smaller in masing and scale than the existing, adequately responds to land levels and is of a sufficient distance from residential properties as to raise no concerns regrading any loss of light, outlook or privacy.”

In 2023, the government announced it would be giving Sandwell Council £20m from its ‘levelling up’ fund to help upgrade Haden Hill Leisure Centre.

A statement included with the application by Sandwell Council said: “The decision to demolish the existing leisure centre in favour of a largely new build solution has been well informed through extensive optioneering and early cost analysis further informed by early contractor engagement.

“Some existing retaining structures will be retained and will form part of the external building fabric at ground floor level for the sports hall and wet changing areas.

“The visual impact and scale of the new Haden Hill leisure centre design will be reduced when compared to the existing building and it has been designed in a more efficient and compact way across two floor levels.

“The developed design delivers a high quality leisure centre environment and a important new facility for the local population of Cradley Heath.”