Thank you to everyone who took part in our 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 

More than 83.85% of the people who took part were looking forward to using the new swimming pools, with 34.99% also looking forward to using the cafe, and 24.22% 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. 

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. 

Timescales 

We will be submitting a planning application in the autumn. 

Subject to planning permission, we are aiming to award the construction contract in early 2026 and start work on site in spring 2026 with a scheduled completion late in 2027.