New Farnborough Leisure Centre

Council submits planning application for Farnborough leisure centre

Farnborough’s new leisure centre is another step closer, after Rushmoor Borough Council formally submitted the planning application outlining its plans to build the new leisure centre and swimming pool in Farnborough town centre.

The council plans to build the new leisure centre on the current Queensmead car park and it is set to include a 25-metre swimming pool and learner pool.

It will also have a gym offering more than 100 fitness stations (including special power-assisted equipment for people who are less mobile or active), studio space, a spin studio, soft play and a café. Parking would be provided on the neighbouring Pinehurst car park site.

The submission of the planning application follows a public consultation on the plans which took place in the summer, and in response to feedback from the public the council has submitted an updated design for the building which draws inspiration from other modern contemporary buildings in Farnborough, as well as town’s unique connections with aviation and the Farnborough International Airshow.

Councillor Sophie Porter, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Healthy Communities and Active Lives at Rushmoor Borough Council, said: “This is a significant moment for the project and represents months of work behind the scenes and I am delighted to share the updated designs with everyone.”

Councillor Porter added: “We are committed to giving residents back their leisure centre and our proposals also give us a unique opportunity to also rejuvenate the town centre and create a warm and welcoming community space where people can come together to have fun. We want to make sure that everyone has local opportunities for exercise, improved wellbeing and social connection and our new leisure will be a key part of this effort offering an affordable and inclusive space for fitness, swimming and recreation.”

For further information and to view the planning application, go to the Farnborough Leisure Centre page. The application is open for comments until the end of Tuesday 18 November.

The council’s Development Management Committee will be considering the planning application in the new year and subject to planning permission work could begin in the spring.

 

New Farnborough Leisure Centre

Pre-planning application public consultation update

Thank you to everyone who took part in our Farnborough leisure centre pre-planning application public consultation and attended one of our public drop-in sessions. 

We spoke to more than 300 people in person about our plans for the leisure centre and 483 people also completed our online feedback survey.

Your feedback

Nearly 84% of the people who took part were looking forward to using the new swimming pools, with nearly 35% also looking forward to using the café, and more than 24% looking forward to using the fitness suite. Most people thought that they would drive, walk or cycle to the leisure centre and you were keen to see better walking and cycling routes, more regular bus services and secure cycle racks.

When we asked you how much you liked the external appearance of the building and the materials used, the average rating was 4.6 out of 10 with many of you commenting that you did not like the proposed square design of the building or the use of red and grey. You also wanted to see something more reflective of Farnborough’s aviation heritage and community.

It was very important to you for there to be outside space at the centre, with spaces to sit and benches as well as planting and trees.

A number of you were disappointed that the proposed facilities mix for the new leisure centre doesn’t include some of the facilities that our previous centre had, in particular a sports hall and we understand why you feel this way.

Unfortunately, the limited funding that we have available for the scheme means that we cannot provide everything that we or local people might like within the new centre. We also need to offer a mix of commercial facilities, which helps to secure the financial future of the centre which is why we have included things such as the fitness suite and soft play which will bring in additional income. Our main focus is making sure that local people have access to a swimming pool again.

The good news is that Rushmoor already has multiple sports and activities halls which are available for community use, and also with capacity to meet local demands, including more than 30 badminton courts and we will be looking at how we can raise local awareness of these and how they can be booked.

Please see the Farnborough Leisure Centre survey summary and data for more information.

Changes that we are making to our designs

Our plans for the new leisure centre in Farnborough give us a unique opportunity to also rejuvenate the town centre and we want to provide a brand-new facility that local people are proud of and will enjoy using.

In response to your feedback, we are looking at ways that we can inject more colour and character into the designs giving the building more visual impact and increasing the use of glass to give a more welcoming community feel.

We are also drawing inspiration from other modern contemporary buildings in Farnborough and the town’s unique connection with aviation and the Farnborough International airshow.

We are also exploring ideas for the outside space including a new town centre play area for families. There are no changes planned to the current skate park or the library.