Plans for Cranleigh’s Energy-Efficient Leisure Centre Revealed

Waverley Borough Council has revealed plans for a new Cranleigh Leisure Centre, stating that the project aligns with its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. A planning application for the £31.1 million centre has been submitted by the council. The facility is projected to open by late 2026 or early 2027, pending approval of the planning permission. The formal planning application process now allows residents to provide their input on the proposed development. Paul Reed, a director at GT3 Architects, stated: “We looked at the strong local vernacular and rural character of the local conservation area to ensure the design can respond to the local village.” The council indicated that the final designs incorporate input gathered from over 800 responses to an online survey and from two public engagement sessions, which saw attendance from more than 200 individuals earlier this year. The planned leisure centre will feature a six-lane swimming pool, a teaching pool, a gym, exercise studios, and a children’s soft play area. A spokesperson for the council commented: “We have listened to your requests and have incorporated an increased amount of parking spaces from 235 in the initial proposal to 300 in the final design.” The council noted that these new parking bays comprise a combination of accessible spaces situated near the health centre, parent and child bays, and electric vehicle charging points. The facility’s design adheres to Passivhaus standards, which involve stringent criteria for sustainable building practices aimed at achieving energy efficiency. Mr. Reed remarked: “Designing and building to achieve the Passivhaus standards is very challenging, particularly for a leisure centre. The new highly sustainable leisure centre will be something for the community to be extremely proud of for many years to come.”