Wellingborough leisure centre rebuild proposal dropped from council's levelling up bid

The rebuild of a Wellingborough leisure centre has been dropped from North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) suggestions for their bid for levelling up funding.

Redwell Leisure Centre was one of the projects that had been put forward to the NNC executive with a proposed rebuild bid for £7.234m to be topped up to the tune of £1.5m.

But when NNC announced their bids for levelling up funding, only six of the proposed seven projects made the grade.

A spokesman for NNC said: “A decision was taken not to include the Redwell Leisure Centre rebuild in this current round of bids, following a review of the different options. However further work will be done by NNC to create a more robust business case to maximise the chance of success for future funding bids.”

Two bids for levelling up funding, each comprising three projects, will be submitted to central Government by North Northamptonshire Council (NNC).

The bid for funding across the six projects totals £30.8m with bids having to be submitted by August 2.

NNC’s levelling up fund ‘bid 1’ is named ‘Transformation through green growth’ and covers the following projects:

- Development of a rail overbridge to gain better access to Stanton Cross and release more housing development

- The construction of a segregated active travel link between Wellingborough and Rushden which will extend the current Greenway

- The repair and refurbishment of the historic Victorian Greenhouse and an events building at the Chester House Estate

NNC’s levelling up fund ‘bid 2’ is named ‘Improving life chances and facilities for local people’ and comprises:

- A new stadium and training facility to be built at Adrenaline Alley

- Completing the construction of a segregated active travel route between the town centre and railway station in Corby

- Environmental improvements to Kiln Way and Minerva Way on the Queensway estate in Wellingborough

READ THIS: Levelling-up cash could be spent on Chester House, a rail bridge or Adrenaline Alley - while new swimming pools and estates in left-behind areas

Cllr David Brackenbury, NNC’s executive member for growth and regeneration, said: “It is great that, following a public consultation and extensive discussions, we are in a position to submit two strong bids for levelling up funding. We believe that the projects that are being put forward have the strongest chance of success, in what is sure to be a competitive bidding process.

“The impact and benefit of these projects will mean we can attract additional visitors, spend and investment into the whole of the north Northamptonshire area.”

Projects submitted for funding must be capital and money must be spent on physical assets and delivered by the end of March 2025.

Cllr Jason Smithers, leader of NNC, said: “The levelling up fund is a central Government fund of £4 billion available across England to support economic prosperity and north Northamptonshire has been categorised as a priority one area for this round, meaning it is of high importance to receive funding.

"With this in mind, I am delighted that six projects have been identified that stand a chance of receiving a portion of this funding.”