Update on £34m Newcastle leisure centre plan as critical works start on West Denton site

Council bosses hope that construction will start on a delayed new leisure centre in Newcastle early next year.

Locals passing the site of the proposed Outer West Leisure Centre in West Denton may have noticed new activity this week, on a project that has suffered a number of setbacks. Critical work to fill in old mine workings beneath the West Denton Way land is now under way, paving the way for the building of a £34 million sports and community hub.

It had originally been hoped that the centre would have been ready to open in summer this year, after Newcastle City Council won £19.8 million from the former Tory Government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund (LUF) in 2021 to help pay for the scheme. But the overall cost of the project has since spiralled from £22.3 million to a predicted £34.2 million as inflation has hit, with the council switching contractors in an effort to bring down the price and forced to seek alternative funding sources.

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Local authority chiefs have remained adamant that the leisure centre plan would not be abandoned, amid national concerns about LUF-backed schemes being derailed by inflation, and now say they expect it to open in 2026. The development will act as a replacement for the former Outer West Pool and library, which were demolished last year.

Once built, the new facility will boast a 25m swimming pool with eight lanes, a 17m training pool, an aqua play pool, a sports hall, a fitness studio and gym, a library, community spaces, a soft play area and a café. Dan Greenhough, a local councillor and the council’s new cabinet member for economy, jobs and skills, said he was “delighted” to see progress on the development as he visited the site on Thursday morning.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The centre is going to be absolutely transformational for the outer west of Newcastle. It's going to include a swimming pool, training pool, gym, library, community rooms, all in one building.

“It is going to be a fantastic hub for the local community and I know people really welcome the project, they want to see action on it. I am delighted that we are moving forward and I can’t wait for it to be delivered for the outer west of Newcastle – it is going to be a real project for the entire area.”

Specialist firm Groundshire has been brought in to drill around 450 bore holes on the land, through which materials will be injected to fill in the old coal seams found around 20m below the surface – in order to prevent future subsidence. It is hoped that work can be completed by the end of January, ready for construction to begin shortly afterwards

The council has previously promised to put in £7.15 million to help cover the leisure centre’s funding shortfall and this week agreed that the project will be prioritised for Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding, which is charged on new developments.

Asked to provide assurances about the scheme’s funding position, Coun Greenhough said: “We appreciate that, with inflation and the war in Ukraine, there were increased cost pressures on the project – that has been covered now. We have had support from Sport England, as well as the council making up the rest of that money to make sure this project will absolutely be delivered.”