High-class local offering follows redevelopment of Knightwood Leisure Centre

There’s nothing ‘local authority’ about Knightwood Leisure Centre apart from the pricing, following a two-month, facelift that’s seen a total transformation of the small community facility in Chandler’s Ford into a destination that rivals even the best private health club.

The internal space of the leisure centre, managed by Places for People Leisure (PfPL) on behalf of Test Valley Borough Council has been totally reconfigured by leisure design and build specialist, Createability, to create a modern, welcoming reception complete with a ‘grab and go’ refreshment area with a window to serve outdoor users, as well as a state of the art gym environment and direct access from the sports pitches to the outdoor changing rooms.

Before work began, the centre didn’t have a gym and simply offered a sports hall for badminton, an auxiliary room for hire and a range of outdoor sports courts and pitches. Bang up to date, the centre now boasts a 155 sq m gym offering a functional training area, cardiovascular equipment and free weights, as well as a Technogym’s TEAMBEATS™; a heart-rate driven group exercise experience, where participants work out to the beat of the music against a timer, with workout metrics, such as heart rate, moves and calorie burn, displayed alongside avatars on a large screen.

“Knightwood is the first gym in Hampshire to install Technogym’s innovative TEAMBEATS,” said Brian Thompson, Commercial Director for Createability. “It has the look and feel of a high-class London boutique fitness studio and really enables the centre to stand out from its competitors, including private offerings in the local area. It gives users the chance to take part in something completely different and is a fun, efficient workout aimed at improving fitness, losing weight and maximising performance.”

As part of the redevelopment, Knightwood’s indoor changing rooms have also been re-decorated and direct external access has been created between the outdoor changing rooms and the pitches.

General Manager, Edd Pooley, said: “The newly developed Knightwood Leisure Centre is a truly impressive facility which is now better able to meet the needs of our local community. There really is something for everyone and we hope that the new facilities will encourage even more people to adopt a love of physical activity and come along with the whole family.”

Createability’s design, which included structural work to remove two walls, has opened up the space to create a welcoming, inclusive environment. Thompson continued: “PfPL were really keen to get the build completed for its customers and so helped us along the way by minimising daytime activity schedules and maximising the evening offerings for centre users, so that we could have good access during daylight hours. This meant a fair amount of co-ordination was required to carry out the works in the ‘live’ environment, but by erecting hoardings and working with the centre staff the project ran safely and effectively and we were able to deliver a high quality, modern facility that is now tailored to suit the needs of the local community.”

Community and Leisure Portfolio holder for Test Valley Borough Council, Councillor Tony Ward said: “As part of our plans to improve sporting and leisure facilities across the borough, we are delighted with the improvements to the Knightwood Leisure Centre. As a result of the work taking place, we were also able to fund and relocate what had been a temporary facility for a local pre-school within the centre to its own bespoke premises next door. In turn, this meant increased capacity at the leisure centre and a more varied programme to encourage activity for local residents. This is a win win situation for all concerned.”

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Editor’s notes:
Createability is a design and build specialist working in the trust, local authority and education sectors. Over the last 20 years they have delivered more than 600 developments worth over £100 million. www.createability.co.uk

For further information contact:
Abigail Harris at Big Fish PR
Tel: 07738 331019
Email: abigail@bigfishpublicrelations.co.uk