Fresh hope for city leisure centre

Money paid by developers building homes in and around Exeter could be used to fund a £6million refurbishment of a run-down leisure centre in the city’s most deprived area.

Sport England is also prepared to chip in with a third of the cost of creating a new ‘hub’ for Wonford, which has some of the poorest health figures in the city and lowest levels of physical activity.

Planning permission was given for the project on the site of the Wonford Leisure Centre last year, and now city councillors are likely to rubber-stamp the funding package to allow the revamp to go ahead.

Members of the city council’s planning committee backed the revamp unanimously at a meeting in 2025.  Cllr Zoe Hughes (Ind, Pennsylvania) described it as ‘a fantastic opportunity for an area of our city that needs some real love, care and attention’.

The new centre off Burnthouse Lane will be a refurbishment of the existing Wonford Sports Centre and Community and Learning Centre, which has been hit by crime and anti-social behaviour. It will include the demolition of the existing gym, Phoenix Centre and outdoor changing rooms and construction of a new hub and football changing facilities.

Cllr Marina Asvachin (Lab, Priory) told the planning committee: “I have been told multiple times that it is literally a life-saver, but the building has seen better days.”

The new hub will also accommodate a cafe, changing facilities, studio and gym.

At the time when councillors voted to give planning permission, there was no funding in place to carry out the work, but next week (March 24) a meeting of the full council will get the chance to vote on a costing plan.

If approved, nearly £3million of the cost will come from the city’s community infrastructure levy, which is paid by developers for facilities to support the homes they are building. In addition, just over £1million will come from Section 106 payments handed over by developers for essential improvements in the local area.

As an added benefit to the council, the new centre will cut the amount of money the local authority currently spends on maintaining the existing building.

Built in the 1980s, the leisure centre includes a gym, weights room, indoor cycling studio, sports hall and floodlit pitch. The community centre has a large hall, a kitchen delivering a community cafe, two meeting rooms and an outdoor patio space.

It is owned by the council and leased to the Wonford Community and Learning Centre Trustees.