New £25m leisure centre for Leighton Buzzard set to replace Tiddenfoot and provide 'bigger and better' indoor facilities

Leighton Buzzard residents are being promised "top quality" indoor facilities as Central Beds Council looks to progress plans for a £25 million leisure centre on the eastern edge of town.

As first reported here, the council’s Executive agreed earlier today to progress the new venue with the next step being to come up with a detailed design.

CBC believes Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre in Linslade is at the end of its useful life and a new building is needed to replace it and allow for "bigger and better" facilities. Public consultation will be carried out in Spring 2022 to get feedback on the proposals. This includes getting views on the future of Tiddenfoot. The feedback will help shape a final proposal which will require future Executive approval.

Plans for the new centre will feature improved swimming facilities including a dedicated learner pool, an impressive fitness suite, cutting-edge exercise studios with an immersive spin studio, a coffee shop and community spaces.

The proposed centre will sit in the Clipstone Park housing development on the east of Leighton Buzzard. CBC says the centre will "benefit from excellent links with walking and cycling routes and offer parking and bus stops to make it accessible for all residents".

It says the intended facilities will deliver the increased scale and quality of leisure provision recommended in the council’s adopted Leisure Facilities Strategy. It will meet current and future demand and encourage residents to pursue a healthy, active lifestyle.

Councillor Tracey Stock, Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing and Communities, said in a council statement: “This is tremendous news for Leighton Linslade residents and shows our commitment to investing in community wellbeing and leisure provision in Central Bedfordshire.

“The facility will be the fifth new or significantly upgraded leisure centre to be built or commissioned in Central Bedfordshire since 2016. The Leisure Facilities Strategy made the case for the new and improved facilities, and the council is continuing to deliver its recommendations. The next step is to develop our plans for this new state-of-the-art leisure centre before consulting with residents next year.

“Encouraging people to have a greater focus on mental and physical wellbeing is important as we continue to navigate through the complexities of a pandemic. Investing in our communities for our residents is a priority for the council.”

CBC adds that the scheme complements ambitious leisure plans across the district. It has recently submitted a planning application for a £3.9 million extension to the Jenkins Pavilion site in Sandy to provide new gym and studio facilities; and a new £25.6 million leisure centre is planned in Houghton Regis after the council secured Levelling Up funding from the government.

A Sport England spokesman said: “Sport England is very supportive of the project. We support the principle of a new leisure centre to serve the Leighton-Linslade area to provide quality facilities for residents and the wider community.”

More information on the Leisure Facilities Strategy can be found on the council’s website here.

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