Plans for a major new leisure centre at Bramcote are set to go before councillors later this month, with Broxtowe Borough Council recommended to grant planning permission for a complete replacement of the existing facility on Derby Road.
The application, which will be considered by the council’s Planning Committee on 14 January 2026, seeks consent to construct a new two-storey leisure centre on the site of the current car park at Bramcote Leisure Centre, alongside the creation of a temporary car park to allow the existing centre to remain open during construction. Once the new building is operational, the current leisure centre would be demolished and replaced with a permanent new parking area.
The proposal is classed as a “Regulation 3” application because it has been submitted by the council itself, meaning it must be determined by elected members rather than officers under delegated powers.
According to the committee report, the new leisure centre would be built to the rear, or west, of the existing building, taking advantage of the site’s sloping topography. The facility would be arranged over two main floors, with additional lower-ground accommodation to house plant and accommodate the depth of the swimming pools. Externally, the building would feature a contemporary design using wall panels to the upper sections, buff brickwork at lower levels, and a darker blue-black brick plinth at basement level, with solar panels installed on the roof to improve energy efficiency.
Internally, the proposed centre would provide a six-lane main swimming pool and a separate teaching pool, alongside a reception and seating area, wet and dry changing facilities, offices and a dedicated spin studio. A gym and separate exercise hall would be located on the first floor, along with a tiered spectator area overlooking the pool, accessible via lifts and stairs. Amended plans submitted during the application process increased the depth of the main pool to two metres at the deep end and confirmed spectator provision, following concerns raised by swimming clubs and members of the public.
The main entrance would face south-east towards the new permanent car park, which would be formed on the footprint of the existing leisure centre once it is demolished. This parking area would include cycle storage, motorcycle parking and a coach and minibus drop-off zone designed to serve both leisure centre users and Foxwood Academy, the SEND primary school located immediately to the north of the site.
During construction, a temporary car park would be created on part of the adjacent school playing fields to the north-east of the access road. Planning officers stress that this would be a short-term arrangement only, with conditions requiring the land to be reinstated once the permanent parking area is completed. Part of the wider scheme would also deliver a significant biodiversity net gain, with officers confirming that an overall increase of 31.2 per cent is proposed, substantially above the national minimum requirement of 10 per cent.
The leisure centre site sits immediately north of the A52 Derby Road, with residential properties on the opposite side of the dual carriageway forming part of Bramcote village and the Bramcote Conservation Area. The existing leisure centre, which dates back around 60 years and has been extended multiple times, occupies an elevated position above the road and is surrounded to the west and south by mature woodland forming part of Bramcote Park, a designated Green Infrastructure Asset.
Planning history included in the report shows that the site has been in continuous leisure use since at least the late 1970s, with previous permissions granted for squash courts, plant rooms, floodlit sports areas, a flume tower and successive extensions to both the building and its parking facilities. The access road also historically served a former secondary school to the north, which has since been demolished following closure and fire damage.
Officers conclude that the principle of replacing the leisure centre on the same site is firmly established in planning policy. The land is specifically identified for leisure and education uses in Broxtowe’s Part 2 Local Plan, and both local and national planning policies place significant weight on protecting community facilities and promoting health and wellbeing. The report states that the proposal would allow the council to modernise an ageing and increasingly inefficient building without any interruption to leisure services for residents.
A wide range of consultees were involved in the assessment. Nottinghamshire County Council, acting as both highway authority and flood authority, raised no objections subject to conditions covering drainage, parking provision and construction management. National Highways initially objected due to concerns about access, lighting, tree impacts and geotechnical risks close to the A52, but withdrew its objection following the submission of further technical information, subject to detailed conditions.
Sport England also raised early concerns about the temporary loss of playing field land and whether the new centre would fully replicate existing facilities, particularly in relation to pool depth and spectator seating. Following amended plans and clarification that the affected part of the field is not currently used for pitches, Sport England removed its objection, provided the land is fully reinstated and future sports use safeguarded.
Broxtowe’s conservation officer concluded that the existing leisure centre makes a neutral or slightly negative contribution to the setting of nearby heritage assets, including Broom Hill Terrace and the Bramcote Conservation Area, and that the replacement building would result in an overall neutral impact. Environmental health officers, tree officers and parks officers all raised no objections subject to detailed conditions to control lighting, noise, construction impacts and tree protection.
Public consultation generated 27 responses, including four in support, 11 neutral comments and 12 objections, alongside a petition with 132 signatures at the time it was submitted. Concerns raised included the range of facilities proposed, pool depth, parking pressures, the design’s relationship with the woodland setting, the reduction in floorspace compared with the existing centre and the environmental impact of demolition rather than refurbishment. Foxwood Academy also raised safeguarding and construction-management concerns, which officers say can be addressed through planning conditions and detailed construction management plans.
