Leisure centre closing next week for £24 million makeover

Sandwell Council has confirmed the temporary closure of Haden Hill Leisure Centre from March 28 while it undergoes an extensive upgrade.

The leisure centre, on Barrs Road in Cradley Heath, is set to undergo a £24 million makeover which includes the demolition and rebuild of the swimming facilities and an extensive upgrade to the rest of the building to bring the facilities up to modern standards.

Haden Hill Leisure Centre opened its doors in 1976 and has served the community for nearly half a century.

However, a partial ceiling collapse in 2023 in the pool area has meant the swimming facilities have been closed for a year.

It was announced by the government in 2023 that £20 million had been allocated to Sandwell Council from its Levelling Up Fund for Haden Hill Leisure Centre, with funding from other partners and an investment from Sandwell Council of £2m.

Work on Haden Hill Leisure Centre, subject to planning permission, is due to be completed by autumn 2026.

Plans include a community pool, learner pool, sauna and steam rooms, gym, two dance studios, an indoor cycling studio and sports hall.

Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for leisure and tourism, Councillor Charn Singh Padda, said: “Although renovation work at Haden Hill has taken place over the years, the centre is starting to show signs of its age and we welcome the extra funding from the Levelling Up Fund for this extensive upgrade.

“Over the last decade, we have built five new leisure centres including the magnificent Sandwell Aquatics Centre. This investment at Haden Hill Leisure Centre will ensure we are maintaining our high-quality leisure offer to all residents of Sandwell across the six towns.”

Mark Wildman, head of operations at Sandwell Leisure Trust, said: “We would like to thank all of our customers that have used Haden Hill Leisure Centre throughout its nearly 50 years as a community facility.

“Over the years we have had millions of visits from people using our leisure facilities and delivered swimming lessons to generations of local children.

“We’ve played host to sports clubs, birthday parties, wedding receptions and even world class snooker players such as Steve Davis.

“Many of our customers have already moved to alternative leisure centres such as the fantastic facilities at Sandwell Aquatics Centre, and our fitness classes programme has been successfully transferred to Portway Lifestyle Centre. Both leisure centres are within five miles of Haden Hill.

“We look forward to welcoming customers back to Haden Hill when the works are finished with our offer of brand-new swimming facilities and a state-of the-art leisure provision fit for generations to come.”