Plans to carry out ambitious improvements to Southampton’s Outdoor Sports Centre approved

Since the opening of the sports centre in 1938, there have been some changes, modifications and improvements made to the facility, however, it was recognised that there was a clear requirement for a future vision to be established to develop key areas in both recreational leisure facilities and competitive sport facilities.  

Several community engagement events and two city wide consultations have taken place which led to a draft Improvement Plan which cabinet approved in 2022 and ultimately, this submission of the planning application.

The proposed improvements were welcomed by the public as part of the a 12-week consultation in 2021. 97% of respondents agreed that they would like to see improvements at the Outdoor Sports Centre, with 85% of respondents saying that their use of the Outdoor Sports Centre would increase if the proposed changes were implemented.  

The £30m project’s original full scope of the Improvement Plan was included in the planning application thanks to the council’s successful bid for £20m levelling up funding from central government which will support the regeneration for Southampton’s main venue for outdoor sports. Match funding and additional funding from external bodies has also been secured. The works are anticipated to begin in 2024.  

The planning application sought approval on:

• A new Community Hub including changing facilities, café, gym, and more
• Three covered indoor netball and tennis courts
• Three new artificial grass football pitches
• New ski lodge at the Alpine Snow Sports Centre
• Family Zone including skateboarding facilities
• A new athletics clubhouse and 240-seat grandstand
• Parking improvements
• Floodlight improvements
• Improved cycling and walking facilities across the park

A new community ‘Hub’  

The new ‘hub’ will provide a space for sporting clubs and the public to use and will include:

• Lobby, main reception, lift and stairs
• A café, social, and multi-use space
• Landscaped seating terraces and balconies
• Changing rooms for teams and officials
• Changing rooms and toilet facilities
• Administration Offices
• Gymnasium and fitness suite
• Flexible meeting rooms
• Health and well-being rooms

A new covered facility will incorporate tennis and netball courts which will replace existing outside courts and will encourage year-round use for tennis and netball players. The covered tennis and netball courts will sit alongside nine existing outdoor tennis courts and seven existing netball courts.

The hub proposals will provide additional tree planting to the front of the hub area. There will be landscape terraces at the ground floor and first floor levels of the hub which will include living green walls and areas of green and brown roofs.

Football  

Due to a shortage of all-weather pitches in the city, the sports centre will benefit from one new 11 v 11 and two new 9 v 9 floodlit football artificial grass pitches. There will also be a retention of two junior and five mini-soccer grass football pitches with improved drainage.

The replacement of grass pitches with floodlit artificial grass pitches will allow for increased year-round usage and will provide additional capacity to allow for increased use by juniors, women and girls. The football improvements will provide a legacy from the UEFA Women’s EUROs held in July 2022.  

Hockey  

The two existing all-weather hockey pitches will benefit from upgrades which will enable additional training. To help support local hockey clubs and bookings, facilities including lighting and storage will be improved. The new ‘hub’ building will also provide hockey players with a social base.  

Alpine Snowsports Centre  

The Alpine Snowsports Centre will benefit from a new two-storey ski lodge with a reception, changing facilities, kit store, a party room and toilet facilities. There will also be an extension to the learner slope and resurfacing of the ski slopes with new ski lifts and lighting.

Family Zone  

The former Boating Lake area will be transformed into the new Family Zone facility which will be for all ages and abilities to enjoy.  

Facilities of the Family Zone will include a children’s play area, and a new cycle, skate and skateboard provision.

Athletics  

To allow for Southampton Athletics Club to not only continue to attract large numbers of people of all ages to participate but also to host events and compete on a national level.  

There will be a new 240-seat grandstand with an announcer, photo-finish booth and storage facilities. A new athletics pavilion will also incorporate a club room, officials, registration and scoring rooms, a first aid room and toilets.  

Cricket  

The remaining four cricket pitches will benefit from upgraded wickets and improved drainage, along with new artificial wickets to both adult cricket pitches.

Energy

Solar photovoltaic (PV) also known as solar panels is proposed to contribute towards the development’s electricity demands. An Air Source Heat Pump system is also proposed to contribute towards the development’s heating/cooling demands.

Pedestrian and cycling

There will be improved pedestrian and cycle routes across the Outdoor Sports Centre. In addition to Southampton’s Bike Park which was recently upgraded, there will be a cyclo-cross, woodland bike trail, and cross-site cycle routes added to the cycling facilities at the sports centre.

Parking 

To help with on-street parking issues surrounding the sports centre, a new landscaped woodland car parking will be created with 275 spaces parking spaces with disabled and electric vehicle charging provisions. There will be a total of 20 disabled car parking spaces at the sports centre.

Councillor Kataria, Cabinet Member for Communities and Leisure at Southampton City Council said:  

“The approval of the planning application is a fantastic milestone for the project as it marks the beginning of the next phase of the much-needed multi-million-pound improvements to the Outdoor Sports Centre.  

We are committed to getting more funding for the city, and the successful bid from the Levelling Up Fund of £20m will enhance the opportunities available at the Outdoor Sports Centre. We understand how important it is to have open spaces in Southampton which help in tackling inequalities in sport and physical activity and improve the quality of life of residents by providing inclusive access to sport and deliver sustainable economic, social, health and wellbeing outcomes”.