Work begins on £24m Haden Hill Leisure Centre

Construction work will begin on the new Haden Hill Leisure Centre in Cradley Heath in April, once demolition work is completed on the old building it will replace.

The new £24m centre will feature 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. It is expected to open to the public in autumn 2027. The redevelopment of the centre – owned by Sandwell Council – is being funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Sport England and the council. The works are being delivered by Alliance Leisure, and were procured using the UK Leisure Framework, owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd. The demolition is being undertaken by contractors Speller Metcalfe.

When open, the centre will be operated by Kore Sandwell. Councillor Suzanne Hartwell, Sandwell Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community, said: “This new community facility will benefit thousands of people’s health and activity levels and I am so looking forward to it opening to the public. It’s the sixth brand new leisure centre we will have built in Sandwell over the past decade.”

Mark Braithwaite, CEO of Kore Sandwell, said: “This is a really exciting milestone for Haden Hill and the wider community in Sandwell. The upgraded centre will be a fantastic, modern space that supports our community-lead more active lifestyles.”

During the demolition works, contractors identified higher-than-expected levels of asbestos within parts of the building. This had not been detected in earlier surveys due to the way the centre was constructed in the 1970s. Asbestos continues to be safely removed and managed in line with strict regulations and there has been no risk to workers or the public.