At the December 2021 Trafford Council Executive meeting, the council agreed to move to a new stage in its plan to refurbish Stretford Leisure Centre. The decision is a reversal of a 2018 decision to build a new leisure centre in Stretford. The council had already agreed in February 2021 to invest £9m into its capital programme to cover essential works across the council’s leisure estate, and to cover costs of developing a business case for the refurbishment of Stretford Leisure Centre. The cost of the refurbishments will be in addition to the £9m investment.
Commenting on the news, Stuart Donnelly, local resident and Deputy Chair of Stretford and Urmston Conservatives said “Few members or visitors to the centre would argue against new investment, but were likely anticipating something more than just a refurbishment of what is a tired and dated leisure centre. Stretford residents were expecting a new state of the art, carbon neutral, energy efficient facility, but now are being told to settle for second best.
“The council could also look more seriously at other options to get new leisure centres delivered such as partnering with a private operator. Swimming is very popular in Stretford and private operators do not always offer swimming provision whereas Trafford Leisure does, so there is already scope to look further at a partnership model.
“Stretford and Urmston Conservatives are calling on the Labour administration to revisit the proposal and commence a wider review of the leisure offer in Trafford. Reducing health inequalities is the first priority of the council’s newly refreshed Corporate Plan and the journey that the council has embarked on regarding Trafford’s leisure offer does not provide us with confidence that there will be more, accessible physical activities and sports sessions available in the local community.”
