Work begins on £14m Thornaby leisure centre

Work is underway on a new leisure centre in Thornaby-on-Tees, Yorkshire. The £14m facility will house a five-lane swimming pool and health club with a gym, sauna and changing rooms.

The two-storey building will connect to the existing Thornaby Pavilion with a link bridge and the investment will see enhancements being made to the internal layout and fitness spaces in the existing pavilion building. Funded by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council – alongside investment from Sport England – the centre is expected to open in summer 2027.

Designed by Ryder Architecture, the centre has been designed to promote sustainable travel, aims to achieve BREEAM ‘very good’ status and will provide a biodiversity net gain of around 30 per cent. Other companies working on the project include planning consultants DPP Planning.

The project is part of the £23.9million Thornaby Town Deal, set to bring long-term change and investment to Thornaby. Other projects funded by the Town Deal include a joined-up network of cycle routes across Thornaby, designed to improve access to the town centre and connect with existing cycle infrastructure to the North and South. The new infrastructure includes segregated cycle facilities – as well as shared walking and cycling facilities – new safer crossings for both walking and wheeling and also additional signage.

Councillor Richard Eglington said: “A new leisure centre will provide sports facilities and add vibrancy to the town. We’re bringing life to a site that has been vacant for a number of years.”