17 Feb 2018
£32.8m Maidenhead leisure centre given green light
BY Tom Walker
A futuristic leisure centre, featuring an indoor street and winter garden running through the spine of the building, has been approved by councillors in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Designed by architects Burke Rickhards, the £32.8m Braywick Leisure Centre will include a 25m, 10-lane swimming pool – with moveable floor – training and splash pools and a health club with a 200-station gym floor, two dance studios and an indoor cycling studio.
The centre – which will also feature four squash courts, six outdoor netball/tennis courts and a 40m x 60m floodlit all-weather 3G pitch – was given the green light by The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) council on 14 February.
Scheduled to open in late 2019, the new centre will replace the ageing Magnet Leisure Centre – currently operated by Parkwood Leisure – which will be demolished and replaced with up to 500 homes.
The plans will now need to receive a final approval from the National Planning Casework Unit.
Councillor Samantha Rayner, RBWM’s cabinet member for culture and communities, said the centre’s design will have a focus on sustainability – and is set to use 70 per cent less energy than the Magnet centre.
“The centre will need to be cost-effective and sensitively designed and I am thrilled with what Burke Rickhards, the architects, have put forward, especially their use of the parkland setting as a theme for the whole building,” Rayner said.
Commenting on the centre’s “indoor garden” aspect, Stephen Rickhards, partner at Burke Rickhards, added: “Braywick Leisure Centre presents an exceptional opportunity to deliver first-class sporting facilities in a beautiful parkland setting.
“The detailed design will ensure the building fully connects with the rest of the park and supports other activities and events taking place across it.”
Close Window