Electricity works delay leisure centre reopening

1 day ago

Richard PriceWest Midlands

Councillor Matt Swindlehurst said the delayed opening was unavoidable due to the electricty upgrades

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council A man with grey hair wearing a red woollen jumper and brown-framed glasses stands in front of a swimming pool. — Councillor Matt Swindlehurst said the delayed opening was unavoidable due to the electricty upgrades

The reopening of a leisure centre has been pushed back due to a large-scale upgrade of the local electricity network, a council said.

The swimming pool and gym at Brough Park in Leek was to open in early 2026 after closing for a £17m upgrade last year, but has been delayed until late summer by work to ensure the network can handle the new facility's power needs.

Work on the town's power infrastructure is taking place but the bulk of the programme will start in January.

It is expected to last four months and afterwards work at the leisure centre can be completed, said Staffordshire Moorland District Council.

The new leisure centre at Brough Park in Leek, Staffordshire, is now due to open in late summer

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council An artist's impression of a new leisure centre viewed from ground level. There is a landscaped footpath leading to a large white-painted entrance to the building. The main section of the building is clad with wood in its top half. There are people sitting at picnic benches and walking around a garden area in front of the building. — The new leisure centre at Brough Park in Leek, Staffordshire, is now due to open in late summer

Internal and external redevelopment of the building would continue, said councillor Matt Swindlehurst, alongside recruitment of staff to run the new centre.

"Whilst the extensive redevelopment the council is leading will be completed as planned, the electricity upgrade does mean the unfortunate but unavoidable delay to the reopening date," he said.

"The work to upgrade the electricity network in Leek is necessary to future-proof services in the town as well as ensuring the power requirements at the leisure centre are met."

Bosses say the new facility will help support the town's health and wellbeing

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council An artist's impression of a new leisure centre from an aerial perspective. There is a landscaped footpath leading to a large white-painted entrance to the building. The main section of the building is clad with wood in its top half and there are solar panels on the roof. There are people sitting at picnic benches and walking around a garden area in front of the building. — Bosses say the new facility will help support the town's health and wellbeing

Matt Wood, from National Grid, said investment in modernising the local electricity infrastructure would help meet growing demand.

"These improvements will ensure the new leisure centre, and the wider community, benefit from a resilient, reliable power supply for years to come," he said.

The council said it had planned for landscaping and signage work to take place at the same time as the electricity works, so the redevelopment would be fully completed when the centre reopens.

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