Stour Leisure Centre

It is good to see the Government's target for net zero emissions by 2050 is being met with a roll out of grants to local authorities to upgrade their building stock's energy infrastructure.

One of the projects SOLID have just completed was the upgrades to Ashford Borough Council's Stour Leisure Centre.

Part of the upgrade works involved the replacement of the Leisure Centre's existing gas fired heating plant with air-to-water heat pumps and the installation of 598 photovoltaic solar panels which will reduce the Centre's carbon emission by 45%. This will reduce the Centre's gas and electricity demands by 40% and contribute to lower annual running costs. The upgrade to the energy infrastructure was funded by a grant from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme for £1,45m.

In addition to the energy upgrade works, the refurbishment included a general overhaul of the facility. The gym now offers a number of areas for gym goers to use depending on their interests and fitness goals. A new bio-circuit room, resistance weight machines and cardio apparatus are only a few of the new activities on offer.

The new soft-play centre boasts multiple level climbing, a 3-lane slide, rope swings and many more activities to keep younger visitors occupied for hours. The Clip-n-Climb offers several new climbing walls, each with a unique character and it is open to climbers and non-climbers of all ages and abilities.

The refurbished sports hall is a large multi-use space with room for eight badminton courts; and netball, five-a-side football, volleyball and table tennis courts along with trampolining. Then there are three new exercise studios for larger group classes including dance and indoor cycling.

SOLID were involved throughout the refurbishment and worked with Ashford Borough Council, general contractor LST Projects and specialist energy contractor Leisure Energy to complete this project in time for the Summer of 2021.