The redevelopment of Bridge Park Leisure Centre forms part of the wider £600m Hillside Corridor regeneration
The cost of redeveloping a leisure centre in North London is set to increase by millions of pounds since the budget was first approved due to rising construction costs and the constraints of the site, according to the council.
Brent Council first approved the budget for the redevelopment of Bridge Park Leisure and Community Centre in Stonebridge back in 2019, which included the construction of a new leisure centre and community building. The proposed loss of the centre has been highly controversial, largely due to its significance to London’s Black history as it was once the largest Black-led community enterprise in Europe.
A long-running campaign by the Harlesden People’s Community Council (HPCC) to get the centre recognised as a national heritage site failed in December last year, paving the way for the redevelopment to go ahead. However, council figures show that the cost to deliver the scheme has increased significantly.
The redevelopment of the Stonebridge leisure centre site forms part of the wider £600m Hillside Regeneration Corridor, which includes the construction of more than 1,000 new homes, a hotel, public park and retail space. The scheme involves the demolition of the existing centre and the construction of a new facility, with works expected to start on site in April 2028.
The council-led redevelopment of Bridge Park is proposed to be delivered in two distinct phases, with Phase 1 involving the reconstruction of the leisure centre and Phase 2 will see the development of a new adult education and community building.
When Brent Council’s Cabinet first approved a budget for the project in 2019, it was set to cost £50m to deliver both phases. However, more recent figures released by the council reveal that it will now cost £53.5m to deliver just Phase 1 of the project – with the cost of Phase 2 yet to be announced.
The budget changes are due to “significant cost increases” in the construction industry owing to national and international events impacting on inflation and a greater understanding of the “constraints of the site and buildings”, according to council documents.
In order to fund the Bridge Park redevelopment, the council is seeking approval from the Cabinet to use £39m of Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy (SCIL) funds – money paid to the local authority by developers when new building projects are approved – alongside £2.5m of borrowing.
The council acknowledges that £39m is a “significant use of SCIL”, which will reduce the amount available for other projects but states that there is a sufficient amount available that includes “a pipeline allocation” of £47.9m for the wider Hillside Corridor development. However, council officers are exploring alternative funding sources – including Sport England and increased revenue from the land sale – which, if successful, will reduce the SCIL requirement.
Assuming 5 per cent interest costs and 4 per cent borrowing repayment charge, the council expects the £2.5m of borrowing to result in an additional £250,000 cost to revenue budgets – which will be covered by a surplus in the management and operational budgets.
Better design
Following a review of the initial design proposal, the new leisure centre will now benefit from a number of improved facilities, including; a 25m, six-lane swimming pool; a teaching pool; fitness suite; four-court sports hall; exercise studios; steam room and sauna; wet and dry changing rooms; and a café.
HPCC has been fighting to protect Bridge Park since the news of a planned redevelopment was first proposed. The group then launched a public campaign in 2024 to get the centre recognised as a national heritage site.
However, Historic England decided it should not be added to the list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest and, consequently, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy MP, decided that Bridge Park will not be added to the national list of protected buildings. Although an appeal has been lodged against this decision, the outcome is yet to be determined so until it is “the original decision not to list stands”, a council document states.
A forward by the Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning, Cllr Matt Kelcher, and Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Public Health, Cllr Liz Dixon, states: “The council needs to provide and future proof its leisure facilities to allow Brent’s residents to have access to as many opportunities as possible to improve their health.
“The new Bridge Park Leisure Centre will contribute to this by providing modern, accessible and publicly available facilities within a part of the borough where the evidence identifies significant health, activity and deprivation-related need.
“The council recognises and appreciates the role that Bridge Park has played in an important chapter in Black British history and the community’s achievements in creating this space in the 1980s to empower local Black residents. We are committed to working with the community to ensure this history is celebrated within the new development.”
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