Leisure transformation- joint use agreements for leisure centres

Gedling Borough Council has a new Leisure Strategy. This recommends the following proposals:

Carlton Active: Provide a new, modern leisure and wellbeing centre on the current Richard Herrod Centre site. Once the new centre is opened, swimming, health and fitness facilities will move from Carlton Forum to this new site (1–3 years).

Future operation of Calverton Leisure Centre: find new ways to manage the centre outside the Council’s management and control, working with local partners (1-3 years).  The centre may have to close if no alternative options for managing facilities there can be found. 

Ambition Arnold: Provide a new, modern leisure centre in Arnold Town Centre. Once the new centre is opened, swimming, health and fitness facilities will move from Arnold Leisure Centre and Redhill Leisure Centre to the new site (around 5 years).

These proposals aim to ensure modern, accessible and local facilities for generations to come. Our current provision is getting old and has become increasingly expensive to run and maintain.  Without change, the cost of keeping them open could threaten the future of leisure services across the borough. New sites and management arrangements will make the service more efficient and sustainable, helping us to reduce running costs and reinvest in improving facilities for residents.

Carlton Forum, Redhill and Calverton Leisure Centres are located on local school sites and not owned by Gedling Borough Council.   They operate under what is called joint use agreements with local schools and Nottinghamshire County Council, allowing us to manage leisure services from those sites. The nature of these agreements means Gedling Borough Council does not have ultimate control on the future and investment at these sites.

As we work towards our Strategy ambitions, the Council will need to withdraw from managing facilities at these sites.

We are therefore seeking views on Gedling Borough Council no longer managing existing facilities from Carlton Forum, Redhill and Calverton Leisure Centres in the future.  Alternative options will be to replace these services with new modern leisure sites nearby or, where that is not possible, work with schools and partners to seek ways to enable ongoing community access to these local facilities. Withdrawal from these sites would take place over a two-year period, although this could happen sooner by mutual agreement. We want to make sure residents, users and the wider community have the chance to share their views early in the process.

We know how important these centres are to residents, and your views will inform future decisions to help shape the future of leisure in Gedling.