until the Leisurezone was ready to open. This will now be demolished to make way for the completion of the housing on the site – a sad, but necessary end to part of the UK’s sporting heritage. The site of the former council-owned


swimming pool has also been allocat- ed for housing development and when housing provision on both sites has been completed will provide some 600 new homes, including about one third affordable homes for people on Harlow’s housing register.


New for old Outside the centre, the towering statue by figurative sculptor Clare Bigger en- titled ‘Energise’ immediately sets the tone and expectations of what awaits within. What’s within is a huge 13,000sq m (140,000sq ft) mix of indoor sport and leisure areas.


The new £25m Leisurezone features a mix of high-quality indoor sport and leisure areas across 13,000sq m


The core sports facilities around which


the Leisurezone revolves are a 25m, eight-lane pool with learner pool, over- looked by a 200-seat spectator balcony and served with a Daktronics In-deck Electronic Swim timing system com- plete with relay take off platforms and full-colour matrix display. The eight- badminton court sports hall features 500 retractable bleacher seats and is equipped with a Daktronics FIBA L2 com- pliant scoring system to host national standard basketball. Then there’s three indoor tennis courts, four squash courts – three with glass backs – and a 150- station fitness facility spread over two levels with three studios – one dedicated solely to indoor group cycling. There’s also a wide range of ancillary


and support facilities – a spa, two café/ bar areas, a conference room, an office suite, and a separate strength and con- ditioning room – as well as outsourced services such as a day care nursery, a six room physiotherapy and treatment clinic and a hairdressing salon. The Leisurezone also incorporates a


substantial space for Science Alive! – an interactive science and technology facil- ity managed by a separate registered charity. Its declared purpose is to provide “a focal point for businesses and educa- tional establishments to work together for mutual benefit enhancing delivery of science, technology, engineering and mathematics”. Additional office space has also been provided with planned use by an external agency.


Issue 4 2010 © cybertrek 2010


Starting out The Harlow Leisurezone opened its doors to the public in June this year. It already has just over 5,000 “pay as you go” mem- bers (of which only 1,600 were members of the old sports centre) and just under 2,000 direct debit members. Access to all activity areas – whether pay as you go or direct debit – is controlled by barcoded tickets and cards. The centre is designed to cater for both


mass participation and excellence and is a designated 2012 pre-Games train- ing camp for 11 Olympic and Paralympic sports. The building itself is spacious and with finishes, fixtures and fittings that make a clear statement of quality. The transformation of Harlow’s leisure


landscape is indeed remarkable. That the original cradle of modern public sports and leisure facilities is once again at the forefront of sports provision in the UK is hugely satisfying. The Leisurezone is indeed a fitting legacy to the old Harlow Sports Centre and one of which my colleague and friend, George Torkildsen, a trustee of the centre for 45 years, would have been immensely proud. ● Ian Barclay is managing partner of the sports and leisure consultancy T


orkildsen Barclay Read Sports Management online sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 37


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84