The new Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre in St Albans has been completed and was opened to the public on 10 November 2012.
The centre sets a new standard in the quality of community leisure provision in the UK. Swimming facilities include a ten lane 25 metre pool, a training pool and a confidence splash pool for toddlers. Other facilities include an indoor climbing wall, 4 court sports hall, 2 studios, a 200 station health and fitness suite (including spinning studio and a youth gym), a high quality spa with treatment rooms and a bistro.
The £24m, S&P-Architects-designed centre, has been completed on time and on budget by Willmott Dixon. It is the first step of a long-term strategy by the Council to rationalise and improve facilities across the City. Other projects are currently being developed.
Members of The Sports Consultancy team advised the Council at various points during the project, beginning with the initial feasibility and business case. More recently, the team advised the Council at a critical stage when a decision was taken to increase the size of the main pool from eight to ten lanes after construction had started. In addition, The Sports Consultancy has just completed a separate commission to complete a detailed business plan for the replacement of Batchwood Indoor Tennis Centre.
Tom Pinnington, Project Manager from The Sports Consultancy, who has led the team working with the Council said:
“It’s fantastic to see the new Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre opening. It has taken a long time to get to this point due to the ambitious nature of the project and the complexities of developing a building of this scale on green space in the heart of a historic city. All credit is due to everyone involved. They have delivered an exceptionally high quality community leisure facility which replaces a dated 1970s centre”.
