A new £36m leisure centre has opened in Huddersfield boasting a wealth of exercise and play facilities. The centre replaces the ageing Huddersfield Sports Centre, which has now closed.

Operated by Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL) on behalf of Kirklees Council, the new Huddersfield Leisure Centre offers a wide range of activities and has been designed to appeal to all members of the community. The new Huddersfield Leisure Centre has been built on the site of the former Spring Grove car park, in Springwood, Huddersfield.

Architects AHR-Global were behind the designs, which were realised by BAM construction. The centre has been funded by a combination of cash from the sale of the previous site to Tesco, funding from KAL and other council funds that would have otherwise been spent on repairs to the previous leisure centre.

The new centre’s gym spans 1,000sq m (10,764sq ft) and features more than 100 cardiovascular and resistance stations, as well as a functional zone which includes a TRX frame, a functional training area and a 33m sprint track. Suppliers involved in the gym fit-out include Technogym, Wattbike, Concept, ESP Technologies, Gerfloor (lifting platform) and Idass (flooring).

The new centre also offers some of the most comprehensive swimming facilities in West Yorkshire, with a 25m (82ft), eight-lane competition pool; a 20m (66ft) training pool with moveable floor and a family water facility with a flume, water slide and lazy river.

Other facilities include two sports halls, squash courts, martial arts studio, indoor soft play area and a café.

The leisure centre is also home to the new Huddersfield Climbing Centre, operated by the internationally renowned climber, John Dunne, as part of his company the Climbing Centre Group. The Huddersfield Climbing Centre includes a main lead wall standing at 12.5m (41ft), which has been developed for climbers of all abilities. The wall offers a wide variety of angles from steep walls to easy corners, spread over 27 climbing lines split between lead climbing and top-rope climbs.

“This is an amazing facility that the people of Kirklees will be very proud of for many years to come,” said David Heddon, KAL’s chair of trustees.

“It’s an outstanding facility and a clear demonstration of both Kirklees Council’s ambitions to improve the health and wellbeing of local people, while also helping KAL continue to realise our vision of helping more people, become more active, more often.”