Sheffield’s leisure and entertainment venues are set for £117 million of investment and huge improvements including rebuilding of some of the city’s most popular leisure centres and improvements to Sheffield Arena and City Hall.
A competitive procurement process will be launched later this month to attract the very best in leisure provision to run Sheffield’s venues.
The investment, which is estimated at £117million, includes a complete rebuild of Springs, Concord, and Hillsborough Leisure Centres. In addition to this, a new partnership with the Football Foundation worth £2million will see investment in the Woodbourn Road football hub.
Councillor Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “There’s a lot of work to be done, but we’ve developed a long-term vision that will protect and enhance our much-loved venues. Across the country we’ve seen pool and leisure centres close but Sheffield is bucking the trend by investing in our facilities.”
With communities at the heart of redevelopment plans, the council is also consulting international sporting stars and national governing bodies who call Sheffield home, including British Para Table Tennis and GB Boxing. This ensures that Sheffield’s leisure offer is suitable for our elite partners and our communities.
“We want to attract the very best providers to manage our future leisure provision and build on the great work of Sheffield City Trust. The council’s investment and the expertise we’re bringing in will ensure we provide facilities that meet the needs of our diverse communities, provide a fantastic entertainment and cultural offer, and attract global, iconic acts to Sheffield.”
The procurement for future leisure and entertainment providers will be structured into three packages. Each bidder will have the opportunity to tender for the packages that best suit their expertise:
- Services for Sport and Leisure (including golf facilities)
- Entertainment facilities – City Hall
- Entertainment facility – the Arena
