Planning permission for the redevelopment of the Centre has been approved by Sandwell Council’s Planning Authority.

Planning permission for the redevelopment of Haden Hill Leisure Centre has been approved by Sandwell Council’s Planning Authority. 

Following a thorough review of the centre’s design, it has been confirmed that the entire facility will be demolished and rebuilt. This was the way forward recommended by the council’s Cabinet earlier in the year to allow the project to move forward with the next stages of development. 

The new leisure centre will feature a wide range of facilities, including a main swimming pool, a learner pool, two multi-purpose studios, a 100-station gym, a 27-station indoor cycling studio, a four-court sports hall, and a dedicated community room.

The £24m redevelopment is being funded by UK Government funding, Sport England, and Sandwell Council. It was procured using Alliance Leisure, part of the UK Leisure Framework, which is owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd. 

Councillor Suzanne Hartwell, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community, commented: “I am glad to see further progress on the Haden Hill site and look forward to it opening to the public.

“Over the last decade, we have built five new leisure centres including the magnificent Sandwell Aquatics Centre. This investment at Haden Hill Leisure Centre will ensure we are maintaining our high-quality leisure offer to all residents of Sandwell across the six towns.” 

Mark Braithwaite, Chief Executive for Sandwell Leisure Trust, said: ‘We are delighted to see further progress towards the rebuilding of this much-loved facility, and we will continue to support all project partners to deliver another fantastic investment for Sandwell.’.

Contractors Speller Metcalfe have joined the design team and have successfully completed the design up to RIBA Stage 3. The project is expected to break ground in November 2025, with an anticipated completion date of Spring 2027. 

Julia Goddard, Regional Director at Alliance Leisure, said: “We are delighted that approvals have been granted to proceed into RIBA stage 4 for this transformational project. The scheme has been developed with the health and wellbeing of the community at the forefront, so the new centre will revolutionise the ways that people can get active in the area.” 

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Executive Director for Place, Sport England, said: “Re-developing Haden Hill Leisure Centre will give more people in Sandwell the chance to play sport and be active, helping them to lead healthier lives. Our work in Sandwell goes further – we’re embedded in Sandwell and the wider Black Country, investing in and supporting the wider community and local organisations, to understand what is stopping people from being active and working together to deliver local solutions. This way of working is changing lives in Sandwell and local communities across England, making sport and physical activity something for everyone, no matter who they are or where they live.”