Kirkby Leisure Centre Wins Regeneration & Restoration Project of the Year at East Midlands Property Awards 2023
The East Midlands Property Awards 2023, named Kirkby Leisure Centre the winner in the Regeneration and Restoration Project of the Year category.
The event brought together businesses from across the industry to celebrate the thriving property sector in the region. Developments, builders, developers, and personalities throughout the industry were also recognised.
The Regeneration and Restoration Project of the Year category, which was sponsored by Invest in Leicester, named the £15.5 million Kirkby Leisure Centre the winning project, which Desco designed the mechanical, electrical and pool water services for. The leisure centre, run by Everyone Active, opened in August 2022 after the land, which was bought decades ago but was left empty, finally had the long-awaited centre built on it.
The state-of-the-art building includes a range of facilities including an 85-station gym, a 25-metre swimming pool, a children’s splash pad area inspired by Sherwood Forest, a group exercise studio, five fun climb walls, a group cycling studio, soft play area, four-court sports hall, and a café. Guests can also benefit from a sauna and steam room, hire a meeting room, make use of a sensory room and a Mary Rose Health Hub. The sports hall can become a cinema facility with 196 retractable seats, one element showing how the building was designed for future growth.
As part of a renewed contract with Everyone Active, Kirkby Leisure Centre also received a share of £440,000, to invest in low-carbon initiatives to help reduce their carbon footprint and running costs.
Judges said the centre had had a positive impact on the community’s health and wellbeing, including providing the town centres first-ever swimming pool, and facilities which a wide range of people could use. They also commented on how the project not only regenerated derelict land but reenergised a community.
The team for Kirkby Leisure Centre included Faithful & Gould, GT3 Architects, Desco, Hadron, Enginuiti and Kier Construction.