Brio Northgate – formerly Northgate Arena in Chester – has officially reopened following a £12 million refurbishment. When built in the 1970s, it was the largest leisure centre in Europe.

The refurbishment was carried out by Read Construction and supported by Cheshire West and Chester Council and operator Brio Leisure, a local authority trading company established in 2011.

Improvements include a fully refurbished gym with state-of-the-art equipment and versatile studio spaces, including a cycling studio. Sauna and steamroom facilities have been added and the changing areas refurbished.

The swimming pool has also been overhauled, with the addition of a new flume, while improvements have been made to the squash courts.

A library is now part of the offering.

LED lighting will help save more than 90 per cent in energy usage, while the pool plant systems have been upgraded with higher-efficiency circulation pumps. An additional 125kWp of solar panels added to the existing scheme will save around £34,000 annually.

The centre remained partially open during the refurbishment, with a temporary gym and racquet sports operating in the sports hall, alongside more than 74 fitness classes each week. More than 3,000 members continued to engage in regular activity.

“We’re really excited about the new site and look forward to getting back to full member capacity,” Matt Parker, managing director of Brio, told HCM. “We really want to make a shift and have a greater impact across the community as a whole. We want more people to be moving more and think we’ve got a vital role to lead within that.”