Sheffield £51m leisure centre rebuilding plan praised as boost for deprived area
A Sheffield councillor has welcomed a £51m leisure centre investment in her area as an important boost for the community.
Springs Leisure Centre on East Bank Road, Arbourthorne is set to be rebuilt in 2026 after Sheffield City Council’s finance and performance policy committee agreed the budget for the project on Monday (November 17).
It’s part of a £117m leisure investment programme to invest in leisure centres such as Ponds Forge, Hillsborough and Concord.
Facilities at the new building will include:
- Health and fitness gyms;
- A six-lane, 25m main swimming pool and teaching pool;
- A five-court sports hall;
- A wellbeing spa and health suite;
- Studio spaces for group fitness classes;
- A four-rink indoor bowls hall;
- A café and social space;
- Areas for community and health activities.
Park and Arbourthorne ward councillor Nabeela Mowlana said: “I think it’s hugely important, an investment of this cost. I suppose it signifies confidence in the local area.
Unacceptable
“When we talk about Sheffield being on the up – that’s something we get quite a lot of on Sheffield Council – I think it’s really important that it extends to areas like Arbourthorne as well.”
Coun Mowlana pointed to the “highly unacceptable” 10-year life expectancy gap between people in Arbourthorne and richer parts of the city. She said that state-of-the-art facilities at the new leisure centre will hopefully have an impact on the health outcomes for local residents.
She said it could also have an economic impact in the area, helping to boost business confidence. “Arbourthorne is so close to the city centre – it has a wonderful community built around it.”
She said that even the recent opening of a cafe on East Bank Road is noticeable, in a way that it wouldn’t be in affluent areas of Sheffield such as Broomhill.
“I’m really, really pleased that it’s happening,” added Coun Mowlana. “When I was growing up around here, all I saw was youth clubs and shops shutting down and library services being cut.”
She praised voluntary and community groups who work hard to make the area a better place. “Just seeing money coming into the community is immense, especially after 14 years of austerity.”