£24m leisure centre won’t re-open until at least 2027 after firm’s collapse adds delay

Haden Hill Leisure Centre in Cradley Heath closed last March to make way for a £24m upgrade and is now not expected to re-open until May 2027.

The crumbling 50-year-old leisure centre’s pool had closed its doors and was drained a year earlier after its ceiling collapsed.

The council initially said the work would be finished by autum 2026 but has now been pushed back following delays caused by the collapse of construction firm ISG – the council’s chosen contractor.

While the work’s timeline remains ‘under development’ the current predicted ‘handover’ would be May 2027.

The new albeit smaller facilities will include a community pool, learner pool, a gym, two dance studios, an indoor cycling studio, sports hall and cafe. Earlier plans for a sauna and steam room have been ruled out over costs.

The latest plans for leisure centre are now set to be endorsed by the Black Country local authority’s cabinet at a meeting on February 5.

Early plans had shown the leisure centre would be demolished completely but the move was later ruled out due to inflation and rising construction costs with councillors instead backing plans for the leisure centre’s ‘dry’ facilities, such as the gym and dance studio, to be refurbished with the ‘wet’ – including the swimming pool – completely rebuilt.

In 2023, the government announced it would be giving Sandwell Council £20m from its ‘levelling up’ fund to help upgrade Haden Hill Leisure Centre. The council would be contributing £2 million with Sport England later revealing it would be providing a further £2m.

Construction giant ISG was appointed contractor at the start of 2024 and reviewed the project saying costs would rise to at least £30 million – with an ‘inefficient’ layout and high ceilings adding unnecessary costs plus the need for a “substantial risk allowance” given the age of the 50-year-old building.

The plans were again reviewed only for ISG to go into administration that September.

The council said the announcement was “unwelcome but not catastrophic” as work had not started and the council had not signed a direct contract with the firm.

ISG was eventually replaced by Speller Metcalfe which said it could build the leisure centre within the original budget.

A statement included with the planning application by Sandwell Council submitted last month said: “The decision to demolish the existing leisure centre in favour of a largely new build solution has been well informed through extensive optioneering and early cost analysis further informed by early contractor engagement.

“Some existing retaining structures will be retained and will form part of the external building fabric at ground floor level for the sports hall and wet changing areas.

“The visual impact and scale of the new Haden Hill leisure centre design will be reduced when compared to the existing building, and it has been designed in a more efficient and compact way across two-floor levels.

“The developed design delivers a high-quality leisure centre environment and an important new facility for the local population of Cradley Heath.”