Page last updated at 16:25 GMT, Monday, February 11 2013

Sport and Leisure Facility Projects

Fleming Park Leisure Centre
Hiltingbury Recreation Ground
The Hub
Wildern Leisure Centre
Wyvern Technology College
Hamble Sports College
University Playing Fields, Wide Lane
Toynbee School
Crestwood

The health and well being of Borough residents is at the heart of the Council’s strategic priorities. To enable residents to partake in sports and active lifestyles the Council has continued to invest in facilities throughout the Borough. In 2002 the Sport and Recreation Strategy set out three strategic aims, with two focused primarily around sport and leisure provision.

• Improving Access - Ensuring that all residents living within the Borough have access to core sports and recreation facilities within walking or cycling distance (maximum 3 mile travel distance). Core facilities are:- fitness and exercise studio, swimming pool, sports hall, playing fields and informal youth facilities.
• Modernising facilities - Ensuring that the quality of existing facilities meet modern standards, are maintained to an acceptable standard and do not prevent members of the population from participating.

The ultimate aim of the strategy was to increase the levels of participation of the whole borough community in sport and active lifestyles. The Council realised that to achieve this aim it must ensure a top quality range of sport, fitness and leisure facilities became available within a convenient distance of everyone’s home. That is why over the last few years we have focused our efforts into creating new sport opportunities and improving those that were in need of updating. With its many partners, the Council embarked upon the most ambitious programme of sports development ever seen in the borough, jointly investing a total of over £17 million in new and improved facilities.

Now that we have done much of the work in providing such a superb range of sports venues we wish to invite you to go out and try them! These facilities were provided specifically for your enjoyment and well being. If you are already regularly using one or more of the superb facilities, thank you. If you are not a regular participant in sport or engage in an active lifestyle, there has never been a better time to start.

Council investment, alongside that of its partners, has centred on the below facilities. Partnerships with educational facilities have provided a fantastic opportunity for both parties to maximise funding and usage, as well as providing an equitable geographical spread across the Borough.

Fleming Park Leisure Centre

The number of visits the centre now receives each year is in excess of 1.2 million, almost 6 times that of when the Centre first opened, making it one of the busiest in the South of England. The centre is managed on behalf of the Council by  DC Leisure. The Council and DC Leisure regularly monitor trends in leisure to ensure Fleming Park Leisure Centre is at the cutting edge of the industry. The ongoing monitoring of existing facilities also enables the centre to remain feeling fresh with regular updating of buildings and equipment. Recent upgrades and new facilities have included:

Fleming Park Extension

Following a report to the Council Cabinet on 5th March 2009, approval was given that Fleming Park Golf Course should be made available for informal outdoor recreational land. This followed a sustained period of decline in golf participation locally and nationally leading to intolerable financial losses. This approval led to the announcement that the Fleming Park golf course was to close on the 31^st March 2009.  The decision followed a long period of consultation with Borough residents; where the findings showed that residents were in favour of the change by almost two to one.

The latest development plan is at this time being researched with a draft expected in early 2010. Following discussions with officers, partners and consultation with the public it was agreed that proposals for the former golf course at Fleming Park should:

• Contribute to the quality of life for local people
• Make a positive contribution to the Council’s corporate strategy and strategic priorities.
• Wherever possible take into account the public’s aspirations for new uses on the land as revealed in the 2008 consultation.
• Complement and integrate with the rest of Fleming Park and its surroundings
• Utilise the unique combination of constraints and opportunities of the site to enhance recreation, conservation and the landscape
• Take into account the need to phase improvements over stages to allow flexibility and the evolution of ideas
• Ensure that appropriate and cost effective management and maintenance can be done

Fleming Park Paddling Pool

The paddling pool is very popular with local residents during the summer months, especially for parents with young children. Eastleigh Borough Council invested £211,000 to refurbish the pool tank and pool surround, as well a new water treatment plant and water features to ensure that facility remains well used by local residents.

Ground floor reception

The project costing over £1,100,000 was funded in partnership with Eastleigh Borough Council and DC Leisure. The project provided:

• A new extended, ground floor entrance and reception desk accessible to all
• Healthworks office for the EBC GP referral and Healthworks Team
• Extended catering area via feature staircase
• Improved WC facilities and soft play area
• Illuminated landscaped plaza with seating and cycle stands

Fleming Park Tennis Courts

A partnership with tennis specialists, Totally Tennis, was forged at FPLC in 2003 to ensure optimum usage of the 4 x new tarmacadam tennis courts, costing £168,000. The partnership was so successful; from a starting point of zero members, there are now nearly 200 members of Fleming Park Tennis Centre. This success has led to a successful funding application to the Lawn Tennis Association for £170,000, matched by a Borough and DC Leisure commitment of £50,000 each, to fund a further 4 x new outdoor floodlit courts, covered seating area and clubhouse.

Fleming Park Bowls Club

Due to the closure of Pirelli Sports and Social Club, Pirelli Bowling Club was without a 'home'. After several meetings between Eastleigh Borough Council, Fleming Park Bowling Club and Pirelli Bowling Club an agreement was reached where Pirelli would use the 'Greengauge' carpet green as their 'home' green and share the clubhouse facilities with Fleming Park Bowling Club. This increase in usage and numbers using the already cramped clubhouse then needed addressing. The total investment for this secondary project was £183,500 and was completed during the summer of 2004. New facilities included a new 'Greengauge' carpet at a cost of £42,000 (January 2003), a new office for the green keeper, public outdoor toilets and disabled toilets in the main building, larger lounge bar and bar facilities, new and enlarged kitchen facilities and a large function hall.

Artificial Training Pitches - Fleming Park Leisure Centre

The artificial training pitches at Fleming Park Leisure Centre, Eastleigh, costing over £650,000, were funded in partnership with the Football Foundation, Eastleigh Borough Council and DC Leisure. The project provided:

• A new full size ATP with a new sand-based carpet, fencing and floodlights
• 3 new rubber crumb floodlit five-a-side football pitches
• 88 new car parking spaces for the leisure centre 

Hiltingbury Recreation Ground

Facilities onsite now include a refurbished pavilion (£328,000) a new community centre (£750,000), improved grass playing pitch surfaces (£199,000) a skate park, tennis courts and play area.

The Council, alongside its partners Sport England, Football Foundation,  the Big Lottery and the Hiltingbury Community Association expect this investment to lead to a huge rise in sports participation at the recreation ground, with links being formed with local schools, clubs and community groups.  Possible future projects on site may include a sports hall and an artificial training surface.

The Hub

The Hub is a £1.4 Million project funded largely from developers' contributions. It is a prime example of partnership working with Capital Youth Club managing the building on the Council's behalf and housing the Eastleigh Rugby Football Club.-The building, constructed in 2004 contains

• 10 changing rooms - primarily for users of the outdoor sport pitches
• additional changing facilities for referees and those with special needs
• a sports hall with 2 marked badminton courts
• a small gym area
• first floor studio for dance , aerobics & martial arts
• bar and catering facilities for up 200 people
• balcony off Rugby club function room overlooking grass pitches.

The Hub Phase 2

Following the completion of the Hub, in 2006 the Council invested £500,000 in developing the outdoor facilities. A hard court Multi Use Games Area (MUGA), tennis court and third generation artificial training pitch was added as well as resurfacing and lighting the car park. A children’s play area will also be added in early 2010. Improvements to the Rugby club training lights were also undertaken as part of the project.

Wildern Leisure Centre

Hedge End was identified as an area with inadequate sport and recreation provision in the borough. A £2 million refurbishment and improvement of the existing sport centre was undertaken. Wildern Sports Complex has been up and running since March 2005. The sport centre boasts:

• A  32 station fitness suite
• multi-use sports hall
• Learner pool
• Reception and Foyer
• Wet and dry changing areas

Other sports facilities on site available for community use include a 4 x court sports hall, 25m swimming pool, tarmacadam tennis courts, grass sports pitches and a 3^rd generation rubber crumb artificial training facility.

Wyvern Technology College

Sports Centre

Eastleigh Borough Council in partnership with Hampshire County Council, Wyvern School and Sport England, invested over £1.5 million to update and extend the Sports Centre at Wyvern Technology College, Fair Oak. The facility has provided:

• a 30 station, Technogym fitness suite (with IFI accreditation for people with impairments)
• New multi use hall
• Reception and foyer
• Changing areas
• Sauna

Wyvern Sports Centre has been up and running since October 2004 and is available for community use outside of school hours. Wyvern is the base for the disability multi sports clubs and is a beacon for catering for people with impairments in the Borough. Other facilities on site include 4 x court sports hall, tarmacadam tennis courts, grass sports pitches and a 3^rd generation rubber crumb artificial training facility.

Athletics Training Facility (J Track)

The forward thinking partnership with Hampshire County Council has led to the addition of a new sports facility at Wyvern Technology College. Following extensive planning and fund raising, in partnership with the School, Hampshire County Council, Eastleigh Borough Council and SITA (land fill tax) construction is underway to construct a 200m running track with complimentary throwing and jumping facilities. It is often referred to as a ‘J’ track due to its shape. The project costing nearly £400,000 is expected to be complete in April 2010.

Hamble Sports College

This £4 million sports complex was funded by Hampshire County Council, Hamble Sports College, Dynamo School of Gymnastics, Sport England and Eastleigh Borough Council. It is open to the public and offers a wide range of excellent facilities. These include:

• a sports hall
• dance studio
• fully equipped gymnastics high-performance centre
• 32 station 'Life Fitness' fitness suite
• 20m 4 lane swimming pool
• 10 person sauna
• 8 fully accessible changing facilities

The main facility was opened in 2002 and has been a huge success for the south of the Borough. The gymnastics high-performance centre was completed in 2004, and is undoubtedly one of the best gymnastics' facility in the country. It has been shortlisted to become a training camp for the 2012 Olympic Games. A recent project has seen the construction of 5 x new floodlit tarmacadam tennis courts to add to the existing facilities which include grass sports pitches and full size sand based artificial training facility.

University Playing Fields, Wide Lane

The Wide Lane development project is a partnership between the University of Southampton (UOS) and Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC). This is one of the largest outdoor sports complexes in the South of England.The project has addressed the shortage and access to quality football pitches, changing facilities and artificial training surfaces for both the university and the local community as identified in the Council's Sport and Recreation Strategy. EBC have signed a 20 year agreement with UOS who will take sole responsibility for the operation of the site including maintenance, financial & legal obligations. The project was boosted by a grant from the Football Foundation to to develop a girls' and women's football development centre.

Investment:

• EBC - £1 Million
• Football Foundation - £1 Million
• University - £2.4 Million

Toynbee School

Toynbee school is designated as a specialist sports college, one of two in the Borough (Hamble Sports College the other). Over the last few years Toynbee has improved and extended their sports provision. These have included a semi sprung multi use hall and full size, floodlit, 3^rd generation rubber crumb training facility. EBC contributed £100,000 in total to both these projects, to secure evening and weekend community use. Other facilities on site are also available for community use; these include grass sports pitches, tennis courts and a 4 x court sports hall.

Crestwood School

In 2005 Crestwood School took the contentious decision to sell off part of their playing field for private housing. Though on the face of it this seems like something the Council would strongly object to, backed by Planning Policy Guidance 17 (PPG17), playing fields can only be sold if there is the case for a greater gain to sport. The corner of the playing field that was sold was redundant and spent a lot of time under water. The school lacked the basic sports facilities. The sale of the land generated enough capital to build:

• 4 x court sports hall
• Sand based, floodlit, full size artificial training pitch
• 30 station fitness suite
• Multi use hall
• Improved drainage to existing playing field

Though contentious, it would be hard to argue that sport was not the winner with this deal. EBC contributed capital to the project as well as professional officer time to ensure both staff and a business plan were in place to enable the facilities to be open to the public.