Creating a sporting habit for life

Affordable Sports Centres

An essential reference for

community sports centre
projects.
The review follows on from
previous Sport England
publications on Affordable
swimming pools and sports halls.

Indicative base construction

rates to Sport England
standards from 1,505/m2
Base construction costs
for Affordable sports
centres (2Q2013):
Sports hall
+ 25 m swimming
pool
+/- health and
tness gym +
studio(s)

3.47m-7.33m

Typical procurement periods

2.0-2.5 years from inception
to operation
Potential community use
income from 0.61m-1.68m/
year 1.

1 Subject to pricing, programme, site and operating

assumptions.

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Sport England 2013

Executive Summary
This guidance is a further development of Sport
Englands initiative to respond to the economic
pressures faced by sports facility providers and
operators. It builds upon the previous advice
contained in Affordable Community Swimming
Pools (January 2012) and Affordable Sports Halls
(August 2012) for separate sports buildings. It
brings them together to form an Affordable Sports
Centre with a typical facility mix of swimming
pool, sports hall and health & fitness facilities. The
guidance highlights:

Indicative design options and construction costs

Estimates for income and operation

The benefits of adding a secondary pool and

enlarged health and fitness facilities.

Business Plan
projections identify
performance within the
upper quartile of NBS
benchmarks.
The key findings
The Affordable indicative designs and cost plans
are based on the use of a rationalised traditional
building approach. Features that help drive down
costs include:

The guidance is relevant to the early briefing and

design stages of community and school and is
intended to give a better understanding of the
inter-relationships between design, capital cost,
operating budgets and procurement. It is intended
to supplement the current information on the Sport
England web site and be an essential reference for
new projects.
Whilst focusing on affordable sports facilities, the
guidance also illustrates how a full range of
community needs and good practice standards can
be met. The design options that are illustrated are
for buildings that can be used throughout the year
and provide appropriate internal environmental
conditions for community sports and teaching. The
guidance takes into account the current Building
Regulations, changes in the education sector
procurement from the James Review and illustrates
how the planning, design and construction
processes can be simplified and speeded up.

Establishing a robust project brief

Developing the business plan and operational

budget

Selecting a procurement route and project

programme

Validating key project details

Forming a template for future projects.

Efficient internal space planning

Simple and uncomplicated building envelopes

Low-weight composite cladding and structural

frame

Easily sourced and reliable prefabricated

components

A best value energy strategy.

Options to enhance the building specifications are

explained in the previous documents. The
indicative designs should be tailored to the
individual needs of a particular project.
The Affordable approach should also be reviewed
against the wider business objectives for the new
facility. Enhancement may be justified to achieve
lower life cycle costs and greater market appeal 2.

The information will have a range of potential uses

including:
Developing feasibility studies and option appraisals

Clear understanding of peak user numbers

The significance of site specific factors and the

potential for these to increase costs should also
be noted as explained in the Affordable Community
Swimming Pools and Affordable Sports Halls
guidance.

Potential uses

Cost effective designs

and efficiently operated
facilities can offer
resource savings.
These can help improve specific
health, wellbeing and
demographic issues and the
needs of local community
groups.

2 See Sport Englands Developing the Right Sports Hall.

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Sport England 2013

Contents
Introduction

Potential Income

Key issues

19

Overview
O
Table 1 - Income
O
Table 2 - Expenditure
O
Table 3 - Business plan
Potential management arrangements

Options for Affordable sports centres

Core facilities
O
Entrance and reception
O
Swimming pool
O
Sports hall
O
Health and fitness
O
Dance studio(s)
O
Changing space
O
Vending area

Income generation
Programming
Expenditure
Staff cost
Utilities

Strategic Planning

Building Design

Health and Safety

Reducing net operating costs
The ultimate financial performance of
community leisure centres

Efficient and effective design

O
Design process
O
Variations to suit catchments and
market conditions
O
Phased development
O
Alternative building configurations
Design objectives
O
Building layouts
O
Options for combining the sports
centre elements
General provision
O
Pool changing
O
Lockers
O
Sanitary provision
O
Showers
O
Accessible wet changing
O
Spectator viewing
O
Sports chair zone
O
Dry side changing
O
Health and fitness changing
Location

Lifecycle maintenance costs

Occupancy and maintenance costs
Business plan
Secondary pool and movable floors
Other pool profiles
Benefits of larger pools and health and
fitness
Capital Costs

27

Overview
O
Table 4 - Elemental cost/m2 overview
O
Table 5 - Elemental cost breakdown
Procurement and Delivery

Building fabric

Procurement route
O
Single Stage Design and Build
Approach
O
Joint Strategy or a Split Approach
O
Separate Approach
Consultant team appointment

Structure

Contractor appointment

Services

Combined procurement routes

BREEAM

Design, Build, Operate and Maintain

(DBOM)

Example: Option 4 Affordable sports centre 15

29

Example programme (Option 4)

Site plan
Ground floor plan
First floor plan

Appendix (separate)

Sections and elevation

Detailed accommodation list

Schedule of areas
Further layouts of Affordable sports centres
Building fabric

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Sport England 2013

Introduction
Key issues

Summary facility mix for the 5 options

In the current economic climate, local authorities

are under increasing pressure to cut costs. The
creation of new or improved sports centres can
make a positive contribution to the process.
Facilities that better meet the needs of the
community have the potential to save significant
revenue costs when compared to existing older
centres. Councils can benefit on a number of
fronts. They can make efficiencies in spending,
rationalise existing provision, make better use of
land assets, whilst at the same time improving
sports and leisure services for the community.

See appendix for a more detailed area schedule

Options

Courts
(badminton)

Equipment
storage

Options for Affordable sports centres

Dry changing

This review has been produced by Sport England to

help project teams develop an Affordable sports
centre. It looks at how sports centres can be logically
and efficiently designed and delivered to provide
functional spaces that encourage sports
participation. It builds on the advice provided in the
Sport England Affordable Community Swimming
Pools (ACSP) and Affordable Sports Halls (ASH)
documents and it should be read in conjunction with
these two documents.

Swimming
pool(s)
Main pool
(lanes)

Secondary
pool

Wet changing

Buffer/
school/group
changing

Changing
places/ full
accessible
provision

Gym stations

50

100

100

100

Studio(s)

Changing
with
accessible
provision

Sports hall

Five indicative design options are provided for a

range of sizes and facility mixes. These are based
on consultation within the sport and leisure industry
and analysis of a number of recently built projects.
They represent indicative Affordable designs for a
range of typical situations:

Option 1 could serve a school or small community

Option 2 could serve a small town

Options 3/4 could serve a large town

Option 5 could serve a large town / region.

Health +
fitness

However, a detailed demand analysis should be

undertaken for a new centre. This will help decide
the scale and facility mix that best meets the
needs of the particular location.

Joining-up previous Affordable designs:

The previous Sport England publication
Affordable Sports Halls illustrates how the
larger version could be joined up with the
Affordable community swimming pool
building. See ASH page 18.
http://www.sportengland.org/facilities-planning/
tools-guidance/design-and-cost-guidance/sports-halls/

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Sport England 2013

Core facilities

The design options include for 4, 6 and 8 lane

25 m pools and for the addition of a secondary
pool. The importance of a secondary pool for
increased programme flexibility and income is
discussed later.

The core facilities that are included in the range of

indicative design options are discussed below.
See the later Potential Income section for
operational factors and impact on the running cost
of a centre.

Sports hall
The 4 court 34.5 x 20.0 x 7.5 m sports hall is to the
recommended Sport England dimensions along
with a sports equipment store of 12.5%. The larger
design options allow a 5 court 40.6 x 21.35 x 7.5 m
sports hall to be included in the economical
rectangular plan.

Entrance and reception

The entrance and reception are designed to give
users some viewing of the internal sports areas.
The reception is also the central hub for the
operation of the centre with clear views of external
and internal circulation routes. In addition, there is
space for automatic ticket machines, a
membership welcome area, displays, automatic
entrance barriers and vending.

Whilst sports halls should be designed

predominantly for sports activities, they can be
used for a range of other non-sporting events and
activities at periods of low demand to ensure that
the building is used as much as possible.

Swimming pool

Spectator seating zone to

main pool (as in Option 5)

Views from health and

fitness over pool hall
(Options 3-5)

Views up to gym

Views of feature
stair up to health
and fitness and to
sports hall

Entrance / foyer /
pool hall opened
up to main access
from both footpath
and car parking

Open views between wet

change and pool hall
Cut-a-way model view
(See cladding options in previous Affordable documents)

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Sport England 2013

Health and fitness

Changing space

Subject to catchment and local competition

factors, a larger health and fitness centre with
more stations will attract more members and
casual users, and improve the financial
performance of a centre.

The review and design options have assumed

changing room capacities on a similar basis to the
previous Affordable community swimming and
sport hall documents. That is to say based on
Sport England guidance notes, the need to provide
comfortable conditions for all users and also cope
with periods of high demand. In the case of the
swimming pool the peak situation has been
assumed to be a steady though put of casual
swimmers (typically during summer school holiday
periods) and the need for the operator to limit
swimming sessions with call out groups. See
Swimming Pools Design Guidance Note.
Vending area
All of the proposed options have small vending
areas included in the reception area. Additional
space may be justifiable to create a larger catering
facility, but this is unlikely to be based solely on
the size of the centre. Factors such as the type of
location, whether high street or in the countryside,
the local competition and the user numbers all
need to be assessed. See page 23 for discussion
on Income Generation.

Dance studio(s)
Movement and dance studios are included in the
larger schemes in association with the health and
fitness areas. This can increase the range of offer
to the fitness members and a wider market.

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Sport England 2013

Strategic Planning
There are many permutations of leisure centres
around the country that reflect the particular
demographics and pattern of existing facilities in a
locality. It is critical for the success of any sports
centre project that a strong project brief is created
based on clearly articulated needs and a strong
evidence base.
A clear understanding of what is required is crucial
to the long term success of any sports centre and
it is important that the project is developed in a
consistent and logical way.
Advice on how to plan the right sports centre to
suit the needs of a locality can be found on the
Sport England web site. Sport Englands Facilities
Planning Model (FPM) should be used to ascertain
the facilities required in any given location.
A simplified version of the FPM has been
developed with National Governing Bodies (NGBs)
and the Amateur Swimming Association to
determine specifically how to size the water space
and sports hall provision. These models are
discussed in the Affordable Sports Halls and
Affordable
Community
Swimming
Pool
documents. The 7 steps recommended to
developing the right sports hall or swimming pool
can also be applied on a larger scale to whole
leisure centres. The 7 steps are outlined below:

SUPPLY AND DEMAND ISSUES

STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS

TYPE, LEVEL AND AMOUNT OF ACTIVITY

DEVELOPING AND REVIEWING

PROJECT OPTIONS

DEVELOPING THE PROJECT BRIEF

THE BUSINESS CASE /

VALUE FOR MONEY APPRAISAL

THE DECISION

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Sport England 2013

Building Design
Efficient and effective design

For an Affordable solution to be successful, the

economies in the design of the buildings should
be balanced with the need to maintain an
appropriate level of customer appeal and efficient
operation. This should be based on the levels of
occupation during busy periods.

The combination of a number of individual sports

facilities into a multi-sports centre will give the
potential for a range of economic, operational and
social benefits. However, there are a range of
design issues that will need careful attention. In
particular, the size, capacity and functional
relationships between the spaces, the organisation
of circulation routes and detailed internal planning
should be tailored to the programme of activities
that is envisaged.

The review has compared the space allocations

under the following six categories:
o

Core sporting areas (CSA)

Essential supporting areas (equipment

storage, changing and sanitary)

Cost effective designs

and efficiently operated
facilities can offer
resource savings.

Foyer / circulation space / public toilets

Plant areas

Core management areas

These can help improve specific

health, wellbeing and
demographic issues and the
needs of local community
groups.

Other areas.

These are illustrated for the five building options in

the graph below. The percentages and mean
values can be used as a general guide for
Affordable projects with a similar mix of facilities.

% of GIFA

Mean
average
values

50

49.7%

40

30

21.1%

20

12.2%
11.3%

10

1.7%

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Option 5

Key areas as percentages of gross internal oor areas

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Sport England 2013

Design process

Alternative building configurations

The design of any sports building should come out

of an understanding of how it is intended to be
used and a response to the specific functional
demands, local demographics and site
considerations.
These
requirements
are
established in the project brief and during the
design development process various options can
be considered for how they might be met.

There are a number of ways that the building may

be configured to suit particular site constraints
or particular building techniques. However, a
number of critical inter-relationships between the
main elements of the building should be
maintained.

The design process is influenced by planning

considerations, legislation such as Building
Regulations and British Standards, client
requirements,
other
requirements,
recommendations, guidance and perceived good
practice.

Entrance easily identifiable

Viewing from reception/entrance into the main

activity areas to increase customer awareness

Reception and control well located to provide

direct access to the changing rooms

The building split into separate wet and dry

zones to facilitate easy operation

Buffer/group changing rooms shared with the

wet and dry

Entries from wet changing areas adjacent to

shallow water to reduce risks to non-swimmers.

The changing rooms and plant areas arranged

in a central core that avoids long corridors

The reception desk is in a strategic location

with good viewing of outside areas, entrance,
and circulation routes

Plant room being adjacent to the deep end of

the swimming pool and changing rooms.

These include:

The Sport England Design Guidance Notes (DGNs)

are key reference documents that set out specific
requirements and guidance for the design of
facilities to accommodate a range of sports. The
DGNs are updated regularly to reflect National
Governing Body of Sport (NGB)requirements and
current best practice. The design guidance that
they provide is taken by Sport England to indicate
the minimum standards required to produce
acceptable best practice solutions.

Variations to suit catchments and market

conditions
Some elements of the DGNs such as the sizes of
core sporting areas, certain functional space,
health & safety and accessibility requirements
should be taken as givens for a particular
standard of project. For example, dimensions of
a 25 m x 4 or 6 lane pool or the width of doorways
to an accessible toilet. However, other elements
of supporting accommodation may need to be
varied to best suit the particular local catchment
and market conditions. Sport England recognises
that there are situations where a variation from
the general guidance may be justifiable. Where
this is the case, a clear explanation with reasoning
and implications should be set out in the project
brief.

Design objectives
The key design objective is to produce compact
and efficient sports centre layouts that provide
elements in compliance with Sport England
guidance. Ancillary areas have been reviewed and
redesigned as necessary. The general objectives
of the Sport England guidance have been applied,
taking into account the likely requirements and
typical brief of operators and based on previous
feedback from those groups.

Phased development
The previous Affordable Sports Halls (ASH)
review included the development of an indicative
design for a phased development with a
community swimming pool. (See page 19 of
ASH). The options illustrated could be adapted
for a phased project.

July Revision 001

Grouped areas such as wet changing and dry

changing areas have been formed with
components which are able to grow in size and
number proportionally as the facility size and
user-requirement increases. This allows for a neat
plug-in design process, with changing area,
cubicle, shower and WC elements added in a
consistent manner.

Sport England 2013

Entrance, foyer and

pool hall opened up
to main access from
both footpath and car
parking

Views up to gym

Views of feature
stair up to health
and fitness and to
sports hall

View of entrance with indicative landscaping

The indicative design options are based on the use

of simple, compact and functional building geometry
in the interests of keeping capital costs down.

to encourage interest and participation. The pools

are designed for community use and the 8 lane
options include spectator viewing at first floor level.

Building layouts

The main corridor potentially provides views into

the sports hall at ground and first floor. Similarly,
the schemes without spectator seating are
designed to potentially give direct views into the
pool hall from the gym. The plant areas have been
located at the rear with the possibility of having
some plant at roof level, should this be required.

The layouts aim to provide a suite of schemes that

meet the needs of typical project briefs for a range
of sports centre sizes. They adopt a common
organisational model that can be expanded to
produce multiple iterations and accommodate
additional facilities elements, simply by adding
components as may be required.

The amount of changing and sanitary

accommodation is compliant with the British
Standards and the Building Regulations and
follows the Sport England Design Guidance. The
changing areas, showers and sanitary facilities
have been located where the users will pass these
areas as they move from changing to activity
space to encourage their use.

The layouts adopt a similar concept with the wet

and dry changing areas, sitting in between the
pool hall and sports hall. A circulation corridor runs
front to back through the building at ground and
first floor levels, adjacent to the sports hall.
Vertical circulation for accommodation and means
of escape is located at either end of this corridor.

The health and fitness areas have been designed

to operate separately from the swimming pool and
sports hall to be used when the other facilities are
occupied by schools or clubs. The health and
fitness changing areas are located away from the
other changing areas and sit in close proximity of
the gym.

The circulation routes are simple and efficient for

ease of orientation within the building. The wet and
dry-side changing is accessed by a single corridor
which also provides easy access to dry side
accessible sanitary areas as well. The dry changing
facilities were designed for separate genders or
teams, for flexible use.

In the options where there is a health and fitness

suite to the first floor, there are two staircases (for
access and fire egress) and disabled access is
provided with two lifts in line with Sport England
Design guidance. A feature staircase is to the front
of the building with secondary escape stair(s) to
the rear.

The pool hall is located to be visible to people

approaching the building and to have good
viewing from the entrance reception area. The
standard pool hall can be extruded to the rear in
the options where a teaching pool is included to
maintain a clean, straight building line at the front
of all the options. The sports hall block can also
be slid towards the rear of the building to make
room for an aerobics studio to be incorporated at
ground floor.

The feature staircase adds interest and movement

via a glazed front, which has been designed to
bring natural light and potential natural ventilation
into the front reception areas and to offer a visual
link with passers-by.

On the first floor, the gym is at the front of the

building to give views of activity from the street, and
July Revision 001

10

Sport England 2013

Options for combining the sports centre elements

Se

Key

Option 1
Sports hall
Changing (+CH)
Health and fitness (+HF)
Swimming pool
Circulation / lifts
Reception zone / staff

Ps

Linking reception
and rationalised
changing and plant
areas for a 25m x 4
lane swimming
pool and 4 court
hall

E
Sc s
C Sc

Iv PH

SH

Sc
Pc
E

O
R

Plant
SH

Sports hall

Equipment store

Se

Secondary exit / fire escape

Sc

Sports hall changing and toilets

Ce

Community entrance

Fc

Fitness changing and toilets

Fe

Fitness equipment gym

Fs

Fitness studio

Fv

Formal viewing

Circulation

Office / staff areas

Reception

Storage

Pc

Pool changing zone

PH

Pool hall

Plant

Ps

Pool store zone / first aid

Iv

Informal viewing

50 station health and

fitness and studio at first
floor level

Ce

Fe
S
Se

Option 2

O
Ps

Additional health and

tness facilities at rst
oor level

Fs

S
Cc
Fc
Fc Fc

E
Sc s
C Sc

Iv PH

SH

Sc
Pc
E

O
R

100 station health and

fitness and two studios
at first floor level
P

Ce

Fs
Fs

Fe

S O Fc O

Option 3
Larger swimming pool
(25 m x 6 lane) and
health and tness
facilities

Se

P
Ps

S
P

Fc

Fc

E
Sc s
C Sc

Iv

PH

Pc

SH

Sc
E

O
R

100 station health and

fitness and two studios
at first floor level

Ce
P
S

Options 4 and 5
Options for a 25 m
x 6 or 8 lane pool
with secondary
pool. Options with
or without formal
spectator viewing.
Options for 4 or 5
court sports hall

Ps

S O Fc O

Fs

Fe

Se

Ps

Fs

Fc

Fc

Sc
Iv

PH

C Sc

Pc

Sc
O
R

SH
100 station health and
fitness and two studios
at first floor level plus
spectator viewing

P
Ce
S

Fs

Fv
Iv

Fs
S
S

Fe

July Revision 001

11

S
Fe

Fc
Fc
Fc

Sport England 2013

General provision

Sanitary provision

Pool changing

Sanitary provision in the wet areas is based on BS

6465 Part 1: 2006 Table 12, based on the
maximum safe pool occupancy and Sport England
guidance.

During the review, the current methodology for

calculating changing room numbers for swimming
pools has been carefully considered.

Showers

The current method is explained in the Swimming

Pool Design Guidance Note and shows a worked
example based on busy periods when there is a
steady flow of swimmers coming into the building
and a call out system is used to limit numbers in
the water and the length of the swimming
sessions. It uses 3 m2 / person, the maximum
safe occupancy figure as defined by HSG 179 as
a start point but allows different values to be used
for the maximum occupancy of the pool water,
times of swimmer in the pool, average time to
change, places out of use for cleaning and the
number of call out groups.

The shower provision is also in line with BS 6465

Part 1: 2006 Table 12 as described above.
Accessible wet changing
Accessible wet changing provision is in
accordance with the British Standards and the
worked example in the Sport England guidance
note. It includes a Changing Places room, a
disabled changing room with a WC, an accessible
shower, and an accessible disabled WC. Baby
change provision, wheelchair storage areas and
cleaners stores have also been included.

These values will vary depending on the particular

programmes of use and further, separate calculations
can be carried out for individual areas of the pool
water to identify the likely peak times in the changing
areas. Nevertheless, this worked example is often
treated as a general standard with the 3 m2 factor
being applied to all the water area.

Areas of water (m2) /

person to calculate any
one time occupancy in
calculation of changing
places

Although this approach gives comfortable changing

conditions for a community swimming pool facility,
feedback from the marketplace suggests that
reductions in pool occupancy and changing
provision may be appropriate for some projects and
should be considered on a case by case basis.
Any design of changing provision should be
considered in the wider context of the project
objectives and the potential impact on income
levels, and customer perceptions of comfortable
changing conditions.

Calculated numbers of
changing spaces for a
25m x 6 lane pool
(assuming an average
changing time of
13minutes/person)

3.0

(HSG 179 minimum

area/person for safe
swimming )

32

4.0

(Marketplace
feedback for lane
swimming)

24

4.5

(Marketplace
feedback for aqua
aerobics)

21

Note:

Irrespective of which calculation methodology is

applied, it does not result in a significant reduction
in the areas required. For this reason, the five
indicative design options are based on the current
methodology.

Separate calculations are required for the consecutive

use of separate water areas and programme overlaps
to calculate the peak use of changing rooms.

ASA suggest a water area of 6m2/ swimmer as a

general guide for comfortable swimming conditions

Table 1 - Overview of water occupancy and changing

calculation criteria

Lockers
Spectator viewing

The locker provision is in line with the Sport

England Swimming Pools Design Guidance Note
worked example, at 75% of pool occupancy, plus
the number of changing places, plus an additional
10% of lockers which may be out of use at any
one time. The buffer/group change doors can be
locked or opened to allow additional changing
spaces to be allocated to either the wet or dry
changing areas.

July Revision 001

Informal spectator views have been included in all

options at ground level near the entrance and
vending machine area. This looks into the shallow
end of the pool, or the secondary learner pool
when provided. For small scale local galas, a
controlled access is provided to the poolside from
this area to give some limited viewing from the
pool surrounds. In the larger option 5, formal
spectator viewing for approximately 80 people has
been included at first floor level. This is accessed
via the lifts and circulation routes to the health and
12

Sport England 2013

shower cubicle is provided for every six changing

spaces and a larger accessible shower cubicle is
included. Accessible seating is also provided in
both male and female changing rooms.

fitness areas. A larger spectator seating could be

created by making reductions to the health and
fitness accommodation.
Sports chair zone

Further adjustments may be justified to suit

particular market and demographic factors.

All areas of the building are designed to be

accessible and suitable for users with normal
width wheelchairs in line with Sport England
guidance in Accessible Sports Facilities. At
ground floor, a sports chair zone has been
created for the wider sports chairs with angled
wheels that are likely to be used in the sports hall.
The zone runs from the car park, entrance,
reception to the sports hall and includes space for
wheelchair storage and people to transfer from
their day chair to their sports chair.

Location
The indicative design options have a footprint of
between 2358m2 and 3260m2 (see area schedule
in the Appendix) and will require additional space
for pathways, car parking and landscaping to suit
a particular site. The local planning requirement for
the number of car parking spaces will be a key
variable. The typical site plan for Option 4 shown
on page 15 would need an approximate overall area
of 8,000m2 8,500m2. The particular shape and
dimensions of a site are likely to create a number
of constraints that will affect the building and site
layout. These constraints should be considered
early in the project development process.

Dry side changing

The changing provision for the sports hall is based
on two separate changing rooms of 30 people
maximum capacity each. This allows them to be
used for school groups and as a teaching space
before and after a lesson as illustrated in
Affordable Sports Halls. This will also cater for
other user groups such as Badminton (sixteen
people on four courts) and allow for overlap
between sessions. The changing rooms are
adjacent to buffer/group changing rooms in the
wet changing and can be linked to give additional
capacity. This gives greater flexibility to cope with
back to back bookings of the hall, mixed-gender
groups and team competitions.

The particular characteristics and constraints of

each individual site will need to be established.
For example:

The changing provision includes showers,

wheelchair space and direct access to sanitary
accommodation as Sport England guidance. In
addition, separate unisex accessible facilities are
located outside of the main changing areas for
general use. WCs are designed in accordance with
the female requirements, which are more onerous
in occupancy to provide suitable sanitary
accommodation for female only events.

Access

Locations of services

Orientation

Landscape and townscape issues

Geotechnical conditions.

All key factors should be carefully considered in

order to sensitively tailor the design for the
particular location. This should include discussion
and consultation with local Stakeholders and
Planning Departments and all other work
associated with RIBA Stage D (Scheme Design
and Planning).

Health and fitness changing

Building fabric

Sport England guidance for changing provision is

based on an equal split between male and female
users and the number of spaces calculated as
65% of the maximum occupancy. This assumes
that many users will arrive already changed.
However, marketplace feedback suggests that a
greater reduction can be applied in some locations
and 35% of the maximum occupancy has been
used to represent a more typical scenario.
Similarly, the review has assumed a more intensive
use of the gym and studio spaces and based user
numbers on a maximum capacity of 5 m2 per
person for the studios and 4.5 m2 per person for
the gym (rather than the 7 m2 and 5 m2 respectively
as mentioned in Sport England guidance). One
July Revision 001

Similar to the Affordable Sports Hall and Affordable

Community Swimming Pool models, the building
fabric is designed to offer a good compromise
between cost, function and aesthetics.
The building is designed to be flexible so that the
external materials can be altered to suit local site
and planning requirements. The external walls
could be formed using a simple insulated metal
cladding panel or if a more aesthetically pleasing
finish is required brick or render could be used.
More details on the external material specifications
can be found in the Appendix.
The internal materials proposed are included in the
schedule in the Appendix. These finishes are
13

Sport England 2013

based on those used for the Affordable Sports

Halls and Affordable Community Swimming Pools.
However, the finishes have been uplifted in the
public circulation and dry changing floor finishes
reflecting the higher throughput that a local sports
centre would expect. Veneered doors have been
introduced to dry public areas in line with the
increased quality that would be expected of a
building of this size, taking into account that it will
primarily be a public building rather than
associated with a school.

Appointed contractor to achieve considerate

contractors credits

Optimisation of natural day lighting

Local sourcing of materials.

The following items to be incorporated as options:

Grey and rainwater harvesting systems to be

considered for W.C. flushing within the
development

Photovoltaic system

Solar thermal domestic hot water system

Heat recovery of pool water when discharged

to enable a pre-heat for the incoming top-up
water

Services

Please refer to the ASH and ACSP documents for

details on the Services proposed for the Affordable
Sports Centre. These systems will obviously
require adaptation and review when they are
designed into a larger sports centre by an
experienced consultant.

Green/sedum roof could be incorporated to

enhance bio-diversity credits with structural
amendments

Waste recycling.

Structure
The design is to take the buildings functional
requirements fully into account. The structural grid
is to be chosen to achieve the most efficiency in
terms of use and cost. Please refer to the ASH
and ACSP documents for details on the structure
proposed for the pool and sports hall.

BREEAM
The development is designed to be assessed under
the BREEAM criteria and achieve a minimum rating
of Very Good. The scheme to achieve a good
reduction in CO2 emissions in line with the current
building regulations and local planning requirements.
This review assumes the following items would be
incorporated to assist in attaining BREEAM credits:

Combined heat and power system using low

carbon technologies to assist with carbon
emission abatement

Photocell, PIR and zoned lighting controls to

reduce electricity consumption

Inverter controls incorporated into every pump

and fan system to ensure flow is matched with
the power required

Cross flow plate heat exchangers incorporated

into every air handling unit to reduce the heat
input required to the building

Energy efficient lighting to be incorporated

throughout the building

Solar glare control to be incorporated into

those areas which require occupancy control
and any privacy control

July Revision 001

14

Sport England 2013

Example: Option 4 Affordable sports centre

Site plan
July Revision 001

95

94

93

92

91

90

89

88

87

86

85

84

83

82

81

80

Access to first
aid room

79
78

Service yard
Emergency
vehicle
parking
bay

Plant delivery

77
2

Chemical store
delivery

9
76

Staff parking

Emergency exit

75
Extent of 5 court hall option

74

58

Emergency exit

4 court hall option

57

73

56

72

Emergency
exit

Emergency exit

71

15

55

70

54

69

53

68

52

67

51

66

50

65

49

64

48

63

47

62

46

61

45
44

Emergency
exit
Emergency exit

Cycle storage stands under extended roof eves

59

Emergency exit

bench

Parking symbol posts to prevent cars parking on the pathway

35

ENTRANCE

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

Raised pedestrian
crossing to act as
traffic claming
measure

NOTE
The 'Affordable' sports centre document is
not site specific and this drawing is
intended to illustrate the relationship of the
components required to produce a
satisfactory layout.

Sport England 2013

The design of the external works will be

dependant on the specific site
requirements.

Drop
off
point

Motorcycle
parking

Assistance dog
rest area

60

Raised pedestrian
crossing to act as
traffic claming
measure

34

33

32

31

30

29

28

27

26

25

24

23

22

21

20

19

18

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Raised pedestrian
crossing to act as
traffic claming
measure

Coach parking /
Drop off point

North
0

10m

Centre signage

Centre signage

July Revision 001

15

Sport England 2013

Ground floor plan

July Revision 001

Key
Staff area
Reception / circulation

First
aid

First aid
Main entrance
Sports hall
Health and fitness
Plant
Pool store / stores
Pool hall
Pool Tank

5 court option
Cl.St

Pool Store

Plant

Equipment
store

Wet Changing
Dry Changing (sports hall)

4 court option

D.Sh

Sh

W
L

Main pool

WC

Buffer changing

16

Protection guarding

V
L
Wet changing
Sh

Dry changing St

V Sh Sh Sh Sh D.Sh

Sh
Sh

D.Ch
/ WC

V Sh Sh Sh Sh D.Sh

L
DWC

Cl.St

WC

Dividing net

Sh
Sh
F/D

Sport England 2013

Secondary pool

CPF

FWC

D.Ch
/ WC

Unisex accessible changing

room with WC / baby change

D.Sh

Unisex accessible shower

cubicle

DWC

Unisex accessible WC

F/D

Family / disabled accessible

changing cubicle

FWC

Female toilets

MWC

Male toilets

Locker

Sh

Shower

Vanity area

Wheelchair / buggy storage

WC

Unisex toilet(s)

Cl.
Sh Sh

D.Ch/WC

Key views

F/D

DWC

F/D

W
MWC

Sh F/D

Cleaners store
Changing Places Facility

Sports hall

Cl. St
CPF

Office
Lift

Equipment
store

Lift

DWC

Reception
Vending

Lobby

July Revision 001

16

10m

Sport England 2013

First floor plan

July Revision 001

Key
Staff area / IT / Store
Circulation
Health and fitness
Plant
Stores
Pool hall spectator viewing
Void

5 court sports hall option

Health and fitness Changing

Plant

Store

4 court sports hall option

Exercise studio

Cl. St

Cleaners store

D.Ch/WC

Unisex accessible changing

room with WC / baby change

D.Sh
DWC

Unisex accessible shower

cubicle
Unisex accessible WC

Locker

Sh

Shower

Vanity area

WC

Unisex toilet(s)

Key views

Void over sports hall

Health and
fitness gym

Exercise studio

Store

17

Void over pool hall

Store

L
Staff
DWC

Store

Sport England 2013

Wc
Wc

Lift

D.Sh
Sh
Sh
Changing
Sh

Staff

D.Ch
/ WC

Lift

Cl.
St

Wc
Wc

D.Sh
Sh
Sh
Changing
Sh

July Revision 001

17

10m

Sport England 2013

Sections and elevation

July Revision 001

Entrance elevation
Views up to gym

Main entrance

Pool hall

Long section

Open views between wet

change and pool hall

Views of feature stair up to health

and tness and to sports hall

Entrance / foyer / pool hall opened up to main

access from both footpath and car parking

Health and tness gym

Fitness studio

18

Sports hall
Pool hall

Wet changing

Cross section

Buffer
changing

Equipment
store

Views from health and

tness over pool hall

Sport England 2013

Health and tness gym

Plant

Plant

Main entrance
Reception

July Revision 001

Dry
Corridor
changing

Toilets

Wet changing

18

Sport England 2013

Potential Income

This section identifies the main operational

considerations and the implications of selecting
the various facility mix options for the Affordable
Sports Centres.

the line costs). In doing so, it is recognised that

historically the vast majority of community leisure
facilities owned by public sector organisations
have required an operational subsidy. In other
words, the costs of operating facilities are greater
than the income derived.

It reflects the desire to make any new facilities as

cost effective as possible and in some cases able
to breakeven in revenue terms (excluding below

Table 1 below shows the income that is expected

from the different sports centre options and Table 2
illustrates the expected expenditure of the centres.

Overview

Table 1 - Income ()
800,000
700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
Option 5

100,000

Option 3

Option 1

Key

Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Option 4
Table 2 - Expenditure ()

Option 5

900,000
800,000
700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
Option 5
Option 4
Option 3

200,000
100,000
-

Option 2
Option 1

July Revision 001

19

Sport England 2013

Table 3 below is a generic illustration of potential

income and expenditure differences between the
different sized facilities. This has been done to
reflect that a modern operating philosophy can
result in better financial performance than the
historical norms. For some facilities, this can result
in a break even position or the generation of
surpluses. The figures are indicative and not
specific to any geographical location or catchment
area. The challenge for future owners and
operators is to manage facilities as cost-effectively
as possible and a number of suggestions are
made in this section.

The Affordable Sports Centre business model

projections sit within the top quartile (top 25%) of
centre performance data from the industry
recognised National Benchmarking Service (NBS).
The NBS provides rigorous and robust information
on the performance of sport and leisure centres.
It allows benchmarking against similar operators,
the sharing of best practice, and provides
comprehensive evidence of the satisfaction of
customers.

Table 3 - Business plan

Notes:
The business models assume:

Figures for a mature full year (based on 2012 prices)

A location/catchment with a reasonable level of discretionary spend

High levels of throughput at affordable prices

All figures are net of VAT where it applies

The membership package allows for free swimming and classes

An NPDO operator who will receive 80% mandatory rate relief from NNDR

No management fee included

Depreciation / capital costs / sinking funds and other below the line costs are excluded

Option 2 includes a 50 station health and fitness gym + studio

Options 3, 4 and 5 include a 100 station health and fitness gym + 2 studios

Budget
BudgetSummary
Summary
Income
Income and Expenditure

Mature
Year (3)
Option 1

Mature
Year (3)
Option 2

Mature
Year (3)
Option 3

Mature
Year (3)
Option 4

Mature
Year (3)
Option 5

Income
Swimming Pool(s)
Sports Hall
Health and Fitness
Studios
Secondary spend
Other - miscellaneous
Total Income

Option 1
463,195
91,831
37,526
14,814
607,366

Option 2
430,204
86,200
375,493
19,998
58,988
24,272
995,156

Option 3
515,522
86,200
656,253
41,513
80,389
34,497
1,414,374

Option 4
621,903
86,200
656,253
41,513
100,075
37,649
1,543,592

Option 5
712,151
109,835
656,253
41,513
122,569
41,058
1,683,379

Operational Expenditure
Staffing
Premises
Administration
Supplies and Services
Other - miscellaneous
Total Expenditure

Option 1
411,798
175,560
38,750
30,163
12,224
668,495

Option 2
639,009
230,538
53,849
51,949
16,817
992,162

Option 3
782,118
299,299
71,747
59,629
21,534
1,234,327

Option 4
837,084
327,404
78,430
71,297
23,857
1,338,072

Option 5
889,578
374,759
88,522
85,619
27,445
1,465,923

Operational Profit/(Loss)

(61,129)

2,994

180,047

205,520

217,455

208,477

327,714

459,364

500,375

544,751

Throughput

July Revision 001

20

Sport England 2013

Budget
BudgetDetail
Summary

Mature
Year (3)
Option 1

Mature
Year (3)
Option 2

Mature
Year (3)
Option 3

Mature
Year (3)
Option 4

Mature
Year (3)
Option 5

Swimming
Casual
Lessons
Schools
Clubs
Other
Swimming sub total

274,925
109,600
30,420
45,000
3,250
463,195

241,934
109,600
30,420
45,000
3,250
430,204

274,517
128,000
31,005
45,000
37,000
515,522

349,763
140,800
41,340
45,000
45,000
621,903

408,576
163,200
43,875
54,000
42,500
712,151

Sports Hall
Courses
Clubs
Schools
Pay and Play (casual)
Sports Hall sub total

23,739
24,000
9,728
34,364
91,831

23,739
24,000
9,728
28,733
86,200

23,739
24,000
9,728
28,733
86,200

23,739
24,000
9,728
28,733
86,200

23,739
30,000
12,160
43,936
109,835

Health and Fitness

Memberships
Pay and Play
Fitness sub total

326,993
48,500
375,493

574,253
82,000
656,253

574,253
82,000
656,253

574,253
82,000
656,253

Studio(s)
Classes/courses
General Hires (meetings)
Studio(s) sub total

13,123
6,875
19,998

23,638
17,875
41,513

23,638
17,875
41,513

23,638
17,875
41,513

Secondary spend
Merchandising
Vending
Secondary spend sub total

6,254
31,272
37,526

9,831
49,157
58,988

22,968
57,421
80,389

25,019
75,056
100,075

13,619
108,950
122,569

Miscellaneous income

14,814

24,272

34,497

37,649

41,058

Total Income

607,366

995,156

1,414,374

1,543,592

1,683,379

Income
Income

July Revision 001

21

Sport England 2013

Budget Detail cont/d...

Operational expenditure

Mature
Year (3)
Option 1

Staffing
Direct Staff Costs
On-costs
Other Staff costs
Staffing Sub Total

324,000
67,260
20,538
411,798

503,000
104,290
31,719
639,009

616,000
127,610
38,508
782,118

659,500
136,310
41,274
837,084

701,000
144,610
43,968
889,578

Premises
Utilities (Gas/Electricity)
Water / Sewerage
Insurance
NNDR
Building Maintenance & Repairs
Equipment Purchase
Equipment Rental
Equipment Maintenance & Repairs
Maintenance Contracts
Chemicals
Trade Waste Collection
Premises sub total

91,200
9,120
11,400
11,400
22,800
6,840
2,280
2,280
6,840
7,980
3,420
175,560

119,760
11,976
14,970
14,970
29,940
8,982
2,994
2,994
8,982
10,479
4,491
230,538

155,480
15,548
19,435
19,435
38,870
11,661
3,887
3,887
11,661
13,605
5,831
299,299

170,080
17,008
21,260
21,260
42,520
12,756
4,252
4,252
12,756
14,882
6,378
327,404

194,680
19,468
24,335
24,335
48,670
14,601
4,867
4,867
14,601
17,035
7,301
374,759

Administration and Marketing

Design, marketing & advertising
Postage
Printing & Stationery
Photocopier
Security Charges
Bank Charges
Professional Fees & licences
Telephone
Sundries/General Expenses
Sub Total Admin and Marketing

9,110
2,280
3,420
2,280
3,420
4,560
4,560
4,560
4,560
38,750

14,927
2,994
4,491
2,994
4,491
5,988
5,988
5,988
5,988
53,849

21,216
3,887
5,831
3,887
5,831
7,774
7,774
7,774
7,774
71,747

23,154
4,252
6,378
4,252
6,378
8,504
8,504
8,504
8,504
78,430

25,251
4,867
7,301
4,867
7,301
9,734
9,734
9,734
9,734
88,522

Supplies and Services

Cleaning Supplies
Items for re-sale
Misc Expenses
Sub Total Supplies and Services

5,700
18,763
5,700
30,163

7,485
29,494
14,970
51,949

9,718
40,194
9,718
59,629

10,630
50,037
10,630
71,297

12,168
61,284
12,168
85,619

Miscellaneous Expenditure/Contingency

12,224

16,817

21,534

23,857

27,445

Total Operating Expenditure

668,495

992,162

1,234,327

1,338,072

1,465,923

Net Operating Surplus / (Loss)

(61,129)

2,994

180,047

205,520

217,455

July Revision 001

Mature
Year (3)
Option 2

22

Mature
Year (3)
Option 3

Mature
Year (3)
Option 4

Mature
Year (3)
Option 5

Sport England 2013

Potential management arrangements

A person would pay a monthly direct debit for

access to the facilities in the same way that they
do to gain access to commercial health and fitness
clubs. Within this basic principle, public leisure
facility operators will have decisions to be made
about what to add into the membership
entitlement. For example, does it include casual
swimming sessions, studio-based classes etc.
They will also need to decide whether there is a
joining fee to be paid (unlikely in the current
economic climate), what concessions will apply,
and whether the minimum membership period is
twelve months etc. The operating philosophy will
determine how commercial the operating
parameters are, for example, whether there will be
a pay and play option in addition to the
membership.

Most leisure facilities will be developed by the

public sector i.e. Local Authorities possibly in
partnership with commercial contractors or
charitable trusts.
Once developed, there are three main options for
operational management, namely:

Direct local authority management (subject to

Best Value test)

Partnership with a charitable trust

Entering into a contract with a commercial or

charitable trust operator.

The operational philosophy, the programming, the

pricing, staffing levels, etc. may vary depending
on the chosen operational arrangements. In turn,
these will influence the levels of income generated
and the expenditure incurred and subsequently the
net profit or subsidy.

Setting prices that reflect the market position and

quality of the new leisure facilities is also of critical
importance in ensuring the future financial
performance. Historically, public leisure facilities
have been heavily subsidised often involving
blanket subsidies given to all users irrespective
of their ability to pay.

Evidence suggests that if there is sufficient

demand in a given area to provide a critical mass
of facilities, the facilities can operate at an
operational profit. The key to this is the level of
health and fitness provision because this is the
biggest income stream.

All of the proposed options have vending facilities

included in the reception area. A decision should
be made early in the design process to establish
if there is the demand for a more substantial food
offer i.e. a lite bites caf for example, in which
case the front reception area may need to be
increased in size to accommodate more seating
and kitchen / preparation space. Whether to
provide a caf or not will ultimately be a decision
that is likely to be based on the size of the centre
and where the centre is located, if the user
numbers are high enough to warrant the
investment in a caf, and if the centre is located
on a high street or in the countryside.

Key factors for a community leisure centre to

generate a financial surplus include:

Large health and fitness facilities

Commercial management philosophy

Realistic pricing structure; imaginative, varied

and full programme

Dynamic marketing and promotion

Lean staffing structure

Tight controls on expenditure.

It is in the operators interest to maximise usage

whilst minimising operating costs. Considerations
include:

Facility mix

Opening hours

Staffing levels

Maximum safe occupancy of swimming pool

The programme of use.

Income generation
Maximising the income generated is the key to
financial success for this type of facility because
with the exception of staffing, most costs are fixed.
When planning facilities, it is advisable to
investigate the supply and demand for health and
fitness within the catchment area. The number of
fitness stations (pieces of equipment) should be
related to the identified latent demand. Generally,
the greater the number of stations, the more
cost-effective the facility will be and the health and
fitness facilities will be presented as the core offer
for a membership scheme.

July Revision 001

23

Sport England 2013

Operational costs will depend on management

arrangements, operational policies, opening hours,
programme of use etc. Some of the costs are fixed
while others are variable.

Programming
The operating philosophy will determine the
programme. Most local authorities will want to
encourage a balanced programme for both wet
and dry areas, which should include:

Staff cost

Lessons and courses - individual

Casual use

Group activities

Club sessions

Private hires/parties etc.

The biggest operational cost is for staff. In the

main these are fixed costs but there will be a
variable element such as casual lifeguard/dry
attendant cover, linked to variations in the pool and
dry side programmes. It is not unusual for a smaller
facility to have proportionally higher staff costs
than a larger site due to the limited ability for
economies of scale.

Special events

Utilities

Schools.

The second largest operational cost is utilities.

These are mainly fixed because the water and air
needs to be treated and heated irrespective of
usage levels. However, operational policies will
impact on utility costs, for example, by varying
bather load, use of showers, backwashing filters
etc. Utility costs per/m2 are lower for wet and dry
facilities because of the disproportionate costs
associated with swimming pools. The water
volume is the main draw on utility costs as it
impacts on gas, electricity and water.

Clearly there is a link between the programme and

income. A 6 or 8 lane pool provides greater
opportunity for a diverse programme and more
income than a 4 lane pool. For example, structured
Learn to Swim programmes that are very lucrative
can be accommodated more easily within a bigger
pool. The addition of a secondary learner/training
pool with a movable floor would give even more
potential.

Other expenditure items include:

Similarly, the sports hall and studios should be

seen as hireable spaces rather than specifically
for individual sports use. Whilst sports halls should
be used predominantly for sports activities, they
can be used for other non-sporting events and
activities at periods of low demand to ensure that
the building is used as much as possible.
The health and fitness facilities should be open for
extended hours to allow members to access
facilities at times that suit their patterns of use e.g.
early mornings, evenings and weekends.

Expenditure
The other side of the financial equation is the cost
associated with operation. These can be
sub-divided into a number of categories including
staffing costs, premises related expenditure,
administrative costs, supplies and services and
miscellaneous costs. These can be generically
described as above the line costs because they
are directly related to the operation of the facilities.
There are often some additional below the line
costs depending on the operating method and
accounting protocols. These non-operational
costs can include a management fee, depreciation,
head office overheads or corporate re-charges
sinking funds etc. When planning new facilities,
these below the line costs must be considered
by local authorities.

July Revision 001

24

Insurance

Building cleaning and maintenance

National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR can be

reduced in certain operational models)

Refuse collection

Sewerage charges equipment purchases etc.

chemicals

The purchase of goods for re-sale etc.

Administration and marketing

Printing, postage and stationery

Transport

Security

Uniforms

Licences

IT.

Sport England 2013

Health and safety

Occupancy and maintenance costs

As stated above, in certain cases it will be

necessary to add a contribution to corporate
overheads whether these be a local authority
re-charge or a head office re-charge in the case of
a
commercial
contractor.
These
are
non-operational below the line costs and will vary
from operator to operator.

Annual maintenance and occupancy costs for a

particular building design will be affected by a
variety of factors, which should be taken into
account when using this estimate:

Size, shape and layout

Design and specification (sustainable

technologies included)

Based on a new more commercial and efficient

management philosophy, it is conceivable for a
combined community wet and dry leisure centre
with a large health and fitness offer to make an
operational surplus.

Intensity of use

Location.

The ultimate financial performance of

community leisure centres

When considering any of the options, all related

costs should be included to confirm affordability.
The five options do not include:

Reducing net operating costs

Business plan

The main determinants of income and expenditure

have been described and clearly the balance
between these two factors will result in the bottom
line. They will be affected by a number of issues
and these issues need to be considered in detail
when preparing a Business Case for a new facility.
The location, the competition, the facility mix (size
and scope of the pool, sports hall, health and
fitness and complementary facilities e.g. catering),
the catchment area demographics, pricing policy,
programming etc. will all impact on income.
It is harder to predict with any certainty future
income levels, but much easier to forecast
expenditure due to many of the costs being largely
fixed. Staffing levels and remuneration should be
considered carefully and kept to a minimum subject
to having the requisite levels to maintain a safe and
user-friendly experience. The design of the pool
and the efficiency of the plant can also impact on
running costs e.g. the use of CHP units. NNDR
costs can be reduced by up to 85% depending on
the legal status of the operator and governance
arrangements. Similarly further savings in VAT can
be generated subject to the operating model.

Central support costs for services. i.e. human

resources, accountancy etc. as these can vary
significantly from operator to operator and
with directly managed services. A reasonable
cost estimate for these services is between
3% and 5% of total income.

Sinking funds (for lifecycle repairs and/or

replacement) in the operational expenditure.
This will depend on the final design and
equipment chosen. However, when developing
individual projects, advice should be obtained
from specialist cost consultants and reference
made to Sport Englands Life Cycle Costings
document which identifies a typical annual
allowance of between 1.3% and 1.5%
(0.3%-0.5% sinking fund and 1% maintenance)
of the overall estimated total project cost.

Key factors to consider in the business plan

include:

Location

Competition from other facilities

Due consideration of the factors referred to above

can make the difference between operating at a
cost or generating a surplus.

Size and scope

Complementary facilities

Lifecycle maintenance costs

Catchment area demographics

These are crucial to the on-going operational

effectiveness of a community leisure facility.
Sufficient money must be put aside to ensure the
regular redecoration and refurbishment of the
building fabric and finishes and the replacement
of plant and equipment. The appearance,
ambience and environmental comfort of a facility
are all critical in ensuring repeat business over a
sustained period of time.

Programme

Pricing.

July Revision 001

When considering any option, a sensitivity analysis

should be undertaken which includes scenarios
for higher and lower income and likewise for
expenditure items.

25

Sport England 2013

secondary supporting pool could be provided

with a similar or smaller m2 of water space. The
two pool model would be much more flexible,
would generate more throughputs and would be
more cost-effective than the single pool model.
This does of course depend on the ability of the
operator to maximize the potential benefits and
assumes that a wide range of aquatic activities is
a higher priority than competition swimming.

Secondary pool and movable floors

The introduction of a secondary supporting pool
can significantly enhance the flexibility and
cost-effectiveness of a community pool within a
leisure centre. It can provide greater programming
options leading to higher user numbers and
therefore more income. The addition of a variable
depth movable floor in either the main or
secondary pool can improve the operational
performance still further.

Other pool profiles

A secondary pool tank would traditionally have

been referred to as a teaching or learner pool
and is often added to 6 lane (or larger) community
pools where there has been sufficient demand
within the catchment area for the additional
volume of water. Although mainly rectangular, in
some cases these have been freeform pools with
beach areas or steps and intended to introduce
young children to water activities and develop
confidence. However, this type of configuration
has the disadvantage of disproportionately
increasing running (and capital) costs due to the
increased water area without making a meaningful
contribution to income streams.

There are also a number of different permutations

for including movable floors within the main tank
that give additional flexibility and cost-effectiveness
for a community pool.
It would be possible to have a movable floor along
the entire length of the pool but it is more likely that
it would be limited to a portion of the pool width.
The decision about whether to have a double
shallow ended pool, a single depth or a graduated
depth pool, with or without a movable floor,
depends on the range of activities envisaged
within the pool. This usually involves some
compromises, for example, a pool ideal for
teaching is not ideal for water polo or competitive
swimming. Movable floors can be used to increase
flexibility but there is still a need to define the
objectives of the facility before embarking on the
specification and design.

It is suggested that secondary pools should be

designed for flexibility in operation and be
programmed to be complementary to the main
pool tank. It should be actively programmed
throughout the opening hours in the same way as
the main pool.

Benefits of larger pools and health and fitness

Whilst learn to swim courses are likely to remain

a mainstay of the programme and income, the
secondary pool should be far more than a
teaching pool. Sometimes it can provide a direct
supporting role such as a warm-up / warm down
facility for competition and in some cases it will
have an independent purpose such as for
swimming lessons whilst training or casual
swimming is taking place in the main pool. A
variable depth moving floor can accommodate a
wide range of aquatic activities including
rehabilitation, aqua-natal classes, aqua-aerobics,
lifesaving, sub-aqua, canoeing etc. The variety of
programming options is limited only by the
imagination of the operator.

A larger pool has the potential to operate more

cost-effectively than a smaller pool because it can
generate
additional
income
which
is
disproportionate to the additional running costs
incurred. This financial improvement could be
used to off-set the higher capital costs. Similarly
a larger health and fitness centre with more
stations will attract more members and casual
users, improving the financial performance.

Through careful design, physical separation of the

secondary pools can give privacy of some user
groups, whilst at other times the two pools can be
readily accessed. During general casual swimming
sessions it is often more appealing to family
groups with more competent members of the
family using the main tank with other members
using the smaller shallower secondary pool.
Increasing a six lane pool to an eight lane pool
involves an increase in water of circa 105 m2. A

July Revision 001

26

Sport England 2013

Capital Costs
Overview
An overview of the capital costs of the leisure
centre options is given in the following tables
derived from updated GIFA analysis of Affordable
Sports Halls and Affordable Community Swimming
Pools cost data and the area schedules in the
Appendix. It is based on the following main
assumptions:

Swimming pool covers included

Sports hall equipment and allowance for

cleaning machine included

All other equipment and loose furniture excluded

Option for movable floors excluded

VAT excluded

Future inflation excluded

Land acquisition costs excluded

External works assessed as a notional value

Incoming services assessed as a notional value

assuming availability from existing supplies

A green field site with no abnormal ground

conditions

The works are competitively tendered using a

single stage Design and Build procurement
route

Drainage beyond the building footprint is site

dependent and not within Allowance for
external works

Preliminaries are based on an unrestricted site

with a 12 month construction period

Allowances included for systems and features

within the building to assist in achieving the
equivalent of BREEAM Very Good for the
project as a whole

Alternative systems may also be required

should natural gas not be available and to
achieve local authority planning requirements
for renewable energy.

Table 4 - Elemental cost/m2 overview (second quarter 2013)

Cost()/m2
2,000

1,500

/m

1,000

500

July Revision 001

OPTION 2
4 lane swimming pool
4 court sports hall
Medium health and fitness

Additional costs total

BASE CONSTRUCTION COST

Preliminaries

Building Sub-Total

Fittings

Services Element Total

Element

OVERALL ESTIMATED COST OF PROJECT

Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Option 4
Option 5

Internal Finishes Element Total

Key

Superstructure Element Total

Substructure

OPTION 4
6 lane swimming pool plus learner pool
4 court sports hall
Larger health and fitness

27

Sport England 2013

Table 5 - Elemental cost breakdown 3 (second quarter 2013)

Elemental cost estimate

Gross internal floor area (GIFA)

OPTION 1

OPTION 2

OPTION 3

OPTION 4

OPTION 5

4 lane swimming pool

4 court sports hall
No health and fitness

4 lane swimming pool

4 court sports hall
Medium health and fitness

6 lane swimming pool

4 court sports hall
Larger health and fitness

6 lane swimming pool plus

learner pool
4 court sports hall
Larger health and fitness

8 lane swimming pool plus

learner pool, with spectator
seating
5 court sports hall
Larger health and fitness

2,280 m
Total Cost of
Element

Substructure

2,994 m

Cost per m2

Total Cost of
Element

3,887 m

Cost per m2

Total Cost of
Element

4,252 m

Cost per m2

Total Cost of
Element

4,867 m

Cost per
m2

Total Cost of
Element

Cost per
m2

396,000

174

449,000

150

486,131

125

553,919

130

620,755

128

285,000

125

373,000

125

459,000

118

494,000

116

575,000

118

71,000

24

127,000

33

147,000

35

189,000

39

270,000

118

270,000

90

292,328

75

333,092

78

373,282

77

137,000

46

152,000

39

152,000

36

152,000

31

Superstructure
Frame
Upper floors
Roof
Stairs

n/a

External walls

235,000

103

279,000

93

313,000

81

338,000

79

388,000

80

Windows and external doors

114,000

50

183,000

61

239,000

61

237,000

56

250,000

51

Internal walls and partitions

128,000

56

249,000

83

391,000

101

424,000

100

451,000

93

40,000

18

61,000

20

79,000

20

80,000

19

85,000

17

1 072 000
1,072,000

470

1 623 000
1,623,000

542

2 052 328
2,052,328

528

2 205 092
2,205,092

519

2 463 282
2,463,282

506

Wall finishes

128,000

56

149,000

50

167,000

43

180,000

42

205,000

42

Floor finishes

150,000

66

191,000

64

234,000

60

279,000

66

320,000

66

28,000

12

44,000

15

62,000

16

74,000

17

81,000

17

Internal Finishes Element Total

306,000

134

384,000

128

463,000

119

533,000

125

606,000

125

Fittings

238,000

104

275,000

92

287,000

74

301,000

71

380,000

78

32,000

14

40,000

13

42,000

11

43,000

10

47,000

10

Internal doors & windows

Superstructure Element Total
Internal finishes

Ceiling finishes

Services
Sanitary appliances
Disposal installations

Incl. below

Incl. below

Incl. below

Incl. below

Incl. below

M&E Installations

824,000

361

1,112,000

371

1,477,000

380

1,614,000

380

1,807,000

371

Specialist Installations

167,000

73

167,000

56

235,000

60

275,000

65

352,000

72

78,000

34

99,000

33

133,000

34

146,000

34

167,000

34

Services Element Total

1,101,000

483

1,418,000

474

1,887,000

485

2,078,000

489

2,373,000

488

Building Sub-Total

3,113,000

1,365

4,149,000

1,386

5,175,459

1,331

5,671,011

1,334

6,443,037

1,324

Builder's work in connection

Preliminaries

356,000

156

576,000

192

739,000

190

804,000

189

883,000

181

3,469,000

1,521

4,725,000

1,578

5,914,459

1,522

6,475,011

1,523

7,326,037

1,505

Contingencies

174,000

76

237,000

79

296,000

76

324,000

76

367,000

75

Professional Fees

365,000

160

497,000

166

622,000

160

680,000

160

770,000

158

External works allowance

250,000

110

250,000

84

275,000

71

275,000

65

300,000

62

Incoming services/stats provisional sum

100,000

44

100,000

33

100,000

26

100,000

24

100,000

21

43,000

19

43,000

14

43,000

11

43,000

10

54,000

11

932,000

409

1,127,000

376

1,336,000

344

1,422,000

334

1,591,000

327

4,401,000

1,930

5,852,000

1,955

7,250,459

1,865

7,897,011

1,857

8,917,037

1,832

BASE CONSTRUCTION COST

Typical sports hall equipment costs

Additional costs total
OVERALL ESTIMATED COST OF
PROJECT

3 See notes on page 27.

July Revision 001

28

Sport England 2013

Procurement and Delivery

This section considers the various procurement
options for this scale of sports centre building and
the implications of framework contracts and
rationalised design for the delivery of more
affordable solutions.

provides the completed facility at an earlier

date than some other procurement routes.

It is intended to be generic and to be read in

connection with the Sport England Procurement
Toolkit which gives more detail about procurement
options.

Experienced contractors can be used to refine

the construction details, structural engineering
and building services to improve buildability.

The designers fees for the production design

work are deferred until the contractor is
appointed and the fees are included within the
building contract.

Potential saving in consultants fees.

Procurement route
The choice of procurement route is critical to the
success of any construction project. Every project
has unique requirements and therefore all viable
procurement options need to be appraised at the
beginning of the project.

Approach
Joint Strategy or a Split Approach
There are often two key project elements that need
to be procured to deliver a new leisure centre. The
first is the delivery of a new capital build project
and the second is procuring an operator to manage
and operate the new centre.

Single Stage Design and Build

This approach over the past decade has formed a
significant part of the market for delivery of sports
centres. Typically, the design is developed by a
successfully procured Design Team to RIBA Stage
D (scheme proposals) at which point the works are
tendered to the construction market. This is
sometimes referred to as a Develop and
Construct procurement route due to the more
advanced stage of the design prior to tendering.
The benefits include:

Procurement of these two elements can be

considered separately or as a combined approach.
Separate Approach
Using this approach, the capital build contract and
the operation contracts are procured separately.
The design process is separate from the operator
tender. However, the management contractor can
be procured in parallel with the capital works to
facilitate management contractor input into design.

A fixed price is obtained for the construction

contract following tender which will allow
earlier confirmation of costs than some other
procurement routes.

There are a number of ways a main contractor can

be procured to construct the capital build, for
example Traditional, Design and Build,
Management
Contracting,
Construction
Management and Develop and Construct.

Due to the fixed price construction contract,

greater cost certainty is obtained when
compared to other procurement routes. The
contractor takes the risk on many factors,
which could otherwise lead to increased costs
such as design development, compliance with
statutory requirements and management of
sub-contractors.

Operation contracts are generally procured on a

similar basis for each Project, and the variations
that exist in the drafting of agreements do not
affect the procurement process. A typical
management contract will last for 7-10 years but
could be tendered for up to 25 years.

The contractor will provide a single point of

responsibility for design, progress and
construction.

Build quality can be ensured due to the more

detailed pre-tender stage design.

An element of competition is introduced into

the final design as well as in the construction,
therefore obtaining the best price for a known
product.

Construction can commence before all of the

design work has been completed. This reduces
the overall development timescales and

July Revision 001

Consultant team appointment

Where projects are developed under the separate
approach, Sport England encourages public
sector clients to review available Framework
Agreements that have the ability to contain sports
and leisure experience, which can reduce delivery
timescales and potentially reduce costs. The
importance here is to ensure that the consultants
on these frameworks have specific sports and
leisure experience.

29

Sport England 2013

Contractor appointment
Again, where projects are developed under the
separate approach, there are a number of
Contractor Framework Agreements available to
public sector clients that should be considered in
a procurement evaluation process. As with the
Consultant appointments above, the importance
is to ensure the potential contractors have sports
and leisure expertise.
Some contractor frameworks also provide an
opportunity to involve a contractor earlier in the
design process and this should also be considered
during the procurement review process.

Combined procurement routes

The above option assumes that the building and
its subsequent management and operation are
procured separately. There is increasing evidence
that a combined contractor and leisure operator
procurement can deliver successful sports
centres.

Design, Build, Operate and Maintain (DBOM)

This route is used to procure both the building and
its subsequent management and operation. This
is based on a Design and Build procurement route,
where a contract is entered into with a consortium,
which typically includes a contractor and operator.
Sport England has been leading on the
development of a standard suite of documents for
leisure operator procurement as a toolkit of
documents and these should be referred to.

July Revision 001

30

Sport England 2013

Example programme (Option 4)

July Revision 001
31
Sport England 2013

ID
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59

Task Name
Start Up
Design Team Appointed
Start up meeting
Agree Procurement Strategy
Development of Brief
Sign off brief and procurement strategy

Duration
115 days?
0 days
0 days?
10 wks
10 wks
15 days

M1

M2

2
3

135 days
4 wks
4 wks
8 wks
4 wks
11 wks
2 wks

18
19

Planning
Consultations
Preparation of application
Submit application
Register application
Determination period (13 weeks)
Consent
Judicial review (12w/3m/90days)

185 days
6 days
10 days
0 days
5 days
13 wks
0 days
65 days

Procurement of Contractor (via Restricted Procedure)

Develop Memorandum of Information (MoI)
Publish OJEU
Press Release
Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (37 days)
Evaluation of responses
Prepare Employer's Requirements / tender documents
Issue Tender documents
ITT - Restricted Procedure
Tenders due back
Tender clarifications
Submit Tender Report & Approval
OJEU 'Alcatel' stand down
Agree Contract Documents
Appoint Contractor

173 days
10 days
0 days
0 days
8 wks
2 wks
3 wks
0 days
8 wks
0 days
4 wks
10 days
8 days
4 wks
0 days

Construction
Design development / Contractor lead in
Construction (56 weeks)
Works completion
Fit out

350 days
10 wks
56 wks
0 days
4 wks

July Revision 001

M6

M7

M8

M9

M10

M11

M12

M13

Design
Feasibility study (RIBA stages A-B)
Client sign off of Stage B
Develop design to Stage C (8 weeks)
Client sign off of Stage C
Develop design to Stage D+/ E (10 weeks)
Client sign off Tender design

Operation

M5

9
10
11
12
13
14

Project Float

M4

24/07
27/07

80 days
30 days
30 days
30 days
30 days
30 days
30 days
80 days

Surveys & Investigations

Topographical survey
Tree survey
Ecological survey
Drainage survey
Utilities assessments
Transport assessment
Environmental & geotechnical desk study / SI

M3

16

21

26
27
28
29
27/11
30
31
32
05/03
33
35
36
37
13/11
38
13/11
39
40
42
12/02
43
44
09/04
45
46
47
48

51
52

4 wks
0 days

31

Sport England 2013

July Revision 001

32
Sport England 2013

ID
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59

Task Name

M14

M15

M16

M17

M18

M19

M20

M21

M22

M23

M24

M25

M26

M27

M28

M29

M30

Start Up
Design Team Appointed
Start up meeting
Agree Procurement Strategy
Development of Brief
Sign off brief and procurement strategy
Surveys & Investigations
Topographical survey
Tree survey
Ecological survey
Drainage survey
Utilities assessments
Transport assessment
Environmental & geotechnical desk study / SI
Design
Feasibility study (RIBA stages A-B)
Client sign off of Stage B
Develop design to Stage C (8 weeks)
Client sign off of Stage C
Develop design to Stage D+/ E (10 weeks)
Client sign off Tender design
Planning
Consultations
Preparation of application
Submit application
Register application
Determination period (13 weeks)
Consent
Judicial review (12w/3m/90days)
Procurement of Contractor (via Restricted Procedure)
Develop Memorandum of Information (MoI)
Publish OJEU
Press Release
Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (37 days)
Evaluation of responses
Prepare Employer's Requirements / tender documents
Issue Tender documents
ITT - Restricted Procedure
Tenders due back
Tender clarifications
Submit Tender Report & Approval
OJEU 'Alcatel' stand down
Agree Contract Documents
Appoint Contractor
Construction
Design development / Contractor lead in
Construction (56 weeks)
Works completion
Fit out

53
54

05/10

Project Float
59

Operation

July Revision 001

32

30/11

Sport England 2013

Creating a sporting habit for life

Alternative Languages and Formats:

This document can be provided in alternative languages, or alternative

formats such as large print, Braille, tape and on disk upon request.
Call the Sport England switchboard on 08458 508 508 for more details
User Guide:
Before using this guidance for any specific projects all users should refer to the User Guide to understand
when and how to use the guidance as well as understanding the limitations of use.

Click here for User

Guide

htp:/www.sportenga
l nd.org/factiles-pa
l nnn
i g/toosl-gud
i ance/desg
i n-and-cost-gud
i ance/user-gud
i e/

Click here for current Design

and Cost Guidance

http://www.sportengland.org/facilities-planning/tools-guidance/design-and-cost-guidance/

Issue Tracker:
001 Initial Publication: July 2013

Sport England
3rd Floor Victoria House
Bloomsbury Square
London
WC1B 4SE

ISBN 978-1-86078-261-9
Sport England, July 2013

Tel : +44 (0)8458 508 508

Further Information:
To find out more about Sport England and to get the latest news and information about our various
initiatives and programmes, please go to www.sportengland.org
July Revision 001

33

Sport England 2013