Work begins on sports centre transformation

Lisa Young
BBC News, Cornwall
Saltash Leisure Centre A drone shot of Saltash Leisure Centre. It is a square grey building and its roof is covered in solar panels. The entrance is glass with clear plastic panels above it. There are two posters marketing the facilities on one of the exterior walls. In the background there are residential houses and there is a flat green area of grass to the right of the centre.Saltash Leisure Centre
The works are expected to be complete by early 2026

Work has started to develop a sports centre to allow it to house a range of community services in south-east Cornwall.

Saltash Leisure Centre will house the town's registrar service, a health hub and meeting areas for Cornwall Council as well as having updated changing rooms, a new reception area and a refurbished café.

The development by Plymouth-based Obedair Construction started on Monday and is expected to be completed by early 2026.

GLL, the not-for-profit workers' cooperative that runs the leisure centre on behalf of the council, said it would remain open during the works.

'Saltash success story'

James Curry, GLL's head of service in Cornwall, said: "A Cornwall-first, this community hub model is sustainable, cost-effective and will encourage greater use of the centre's facilities."

He said the centre "has come a long way since its future was cast into doubt during the pandemic" and new health and fitness programmes together with school and club usage had boosted membership numbers.

"Local support has been a gamechanger in this Saltash success story and we're very grateful to everyone involved in making it happen," he added.

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