Early works
20 September - 25 October 2024
Lichfield District Council have been working on a project to transform Stychbrook Park into a new multi-functional leisure facility. This new leisure centre represents a major step in Lichfield District’s commitment to expanding access to sport, improving health outcomes, and investing in the future of its growing community in its 2050 strategy.
Stepnell was the selected contractor for the construction of this development. Works started in September 2024 and we are pleased to welcome all to the new facility as this opened to the public in early January 2026.
The start of this exciting project was celebrated with former Olympic gold medal winner Rebecca Adlington OBE, who joined Councillor Doug Pullen, Leader of Lichfield District Council, alongside representatives from local swimming clubs and community organisations at a ground-breaking event at Stychbrook Park in September 2024.
As an Olympic gold medal winner for freestyle swimming Rebecca is uniquely positioned to understand the importance of community leisure facilities and her company ReCreation have been instrumental in helping Lichfield District Council to design the facilities to ensure they meet the needs of local residents.
20 September - 25 October 2024
4 November - 28 Febuary 2024 - 2025
11 November - 7 March 2024 - 2025
10 March - 22 April 2025
31 March - 8 October 2025
8 June - 5 December 2025
10 June - 5 December 2025
23 September - 5 December 2025
Rebecca Adlington returned to Lichfield in June this year to celebrate a major construction milestone with a special ‘topping out’ ceremony, and was joined by civic leaders, project partners and local organisations at Stychbrook Park, to see the main structure of the new leisure centre complete.
During the event, there was a tour of the site, Rebecca signed one of the final beams and spoke with representatives from local sports clubs, community organisations and council members.
“I am excited to see the new Lichfield leisure centre coming to life. Having access to modern swimming facilities is so important for inspiring the next generation of swimmers and creating opportunities for local communities to develop healthy habits and lifelong, active skills.
I’m incredibly proud of the team at ReCreation, who have developed a wonderful facility to maximise the investment from Lichfield District Council, ultimately providing vital facilities , giving children the opportunity to learn, improve, and develop a love for swimming.
Spaces like the new Lichfield leisure centre at Stychbrook Park can truly transform lives and promote healthy, active lifestyles”Rebecca Adlington OBE
To read the detailed decision reports, please visit the links below on the main Lichfield District Council website
The following questions were raised during the start of this development process before works started in September 2024:
Did you consider alternative options?
Yes we did. Stychbrook Park has several advantages as a site for a leisure centre, whereas the other sites reviewed each present issues that would make development more difficult as follows:
Alternative Options |
Key facts / Issues |
| Birmingham Road |
|
| Stowe Fields |
|
| Shortbutts Park |
|
| Saddlers Wood |
|
| Leomansley Park (A51 pitches) |
|
| Darnford Park |
|
| Beacon Park |
|
Why not build the leisure centre on the derelict Birmingham Road site?
Some of the challenges with using that site such as its small size, and conservation area location have been detailed previously in the alternative options section above. The Lichfield City Centre Masterplan is being developed and will consider the best use for that site.
What will the new centre cost?
Based on our initial plans for the new leisure centre and the mix of facilities it will contain we estimate that cost will be around £10 million.
Who is paying for the new centre?
Lichfield District Council has set aside £10 million to fund the new leisure centre.
Will the outside pitch have floodlights?
The 3G football pitch will have floodlights. As part of the planning process we will consider the impact on houses surrounding the new leisure centre that may be affected.
Will the outside pitch be fenced off?
The 3G football pitch at the new leisure centre will be fenced and floodlit.
Will building on Stychbrook park have negative impacts?
Local concerns include the loss of green space, traffic issues on already busy roads and issues for neighbouring houses with potential noise pollution, light pollution and traffic congestion. All these aspects will be dealt with through the planning process which includes consultation with local residents and statutory consultees.
We needed to replace the ageing Friary Grange Leisure Centre and give residents a safe, exciting community facility. Although significant repairs have been carried out the building was nearing the end of its useful life.
This new leisure centre is vitally important to the future of the city and the district and represents so much more than just a building. We know that exercise and keeping fit is of importance to keep health at all ages, and we are committed to investing in leisure activities for all age groups. We hope that this new facility, alongside Burntwood Leisure Centre, will become a focal point for helping increase participation in leisure and sport across our district.
The new leisure centre facilities include:
As part of the design process we considered the latest lighting technologies to minimise potential light pollution, highway experts worked with us to resolve any traffic challenge and biodiversity experts have helped us to ensure that the areas surrounding the facility are enhanced for our wildlife and vegetation.
For any queries or to check the latest updates, visit the Lichfield District Council’s Leisure Centre project update page at www.ldcdevelopments.co.uk/built-developments/leisure-centreor sacan the QR code. If you have any questions you can contact us by email stychbrooklc@lichfielddv.gov.ukor you can call 01543 308000.
Monday to Friday 7:00am – 5:00pm
Please note some works may require to operate at weekends 7.00am – 5.00pm or occasionally out of hours.
Emergency out of hours contact
if there are any issues with the site outside of the site working hours, or you see anything suspicious, please call the mobile number 07469 748218.
