Leisure
The fitness suite has been fitted with 80 exercise stations, including brand new Precor CV equipment and Technogym resistance equipment
Fit for purpose Since being taken over by property management and development group Places for People just over a year ago, leisure management contractor DC Leisure has embarked on an impressive investment programme in local leisure facilities across the country.
T
he most recent facility to recieve investment is Dorking Sports Centre, which has seen a £230,000 redevelopment project bring the local authority building up to date, expanding the gym to cater for more than 3000 members and stamp it with DC Leisure’s brand identity. “The investment at Dorking stems from our takeover by Places for People. As a company, our approach and our ethos has changed,” said Steve Warriner, DC Leisure Area Manager. “It has given us the opportunity to look at the market differently and to bid more competitively. We are a community based company with a programme for investing in the communities we serve.” Dorking Sports Centre was taken over by DC Leisure at the end of November, with leisure build and design specialist company Createability moving in the same day to start work on the improvements.
36 Public Sector Build Journal
To increase capacity, the gym was expanded into a balcony and foyer area, and the new 400m2 fitness suite, which opened on 21st December in time for the New Year rush, was fitted with 80 exercise stations, including brand new Precor CV equipment and Technogym resistance equipment.
Overcoming challenges “There were a few challenges along the way,” said Ian Cotgrave, Managing Director of Createability, which specialises in redeveloping public sector leisure facilities. “Information relating the existing building design was limited, so turning up on site blind presented a few initial structural problems, but these were quickly overcome with minimal impact to the programme.” Despite choosing the quietest time of year in order to minimise disruption, according to Warriner there were a few customer complaints when the gym closed for just 12 days during December: “We offered our
members the use of other DC Leisure sites for free, as well as putting on more classes at Dorking for them to try. However, now they’ve seen the new gym the customers are delighted.” DC Leisure has created a low cost gymonly membership, which costs just 50% of the fee of those wanting to use the classes, swimming pool, sports hall and tennis courts, which are also available at the centre. The new membership structure has seen some current members downgrade to the gym-only option. Fitness instructors have already inducted most of the existing 2000 members on the new gym equipment – training 200 on the first day alone. “At DC Leisure we have our own way of inducting members and so for health and safety reasons, as a new company taking over the site, we wanted to ensure all members had been inducted on the equipment to our standards,” explained Warriner. In January the existing dry side changing facilities were then refurbished and a new group cycling studio created from an old swimming pool viewing area on the ground floor. “The studio is right at the front entrance of the building and its glazed walls create a wonderful shop front as customers approach the site,” states Cotgrave. “It’s also glazed overlooking the pool, creating a stunning look both internally