Max Associates was first commissioned to deliver a comprehensive Leisure Performance Review across the Council’s four main leisure centres, serving communities in King’s Lynn, Downham Market and Hunstanton.
Outcome
The review set out the key challenges of an ageing estate and the financial pressures of service delivery, while also identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and better align with health and wellbeing priorities. The findings provided the Council and its leisure trust with robust evidence-based data to inform strategic decision-making about the future direction of its facilities.
Scope of Review
The review was designed to provide an independent assessmen of how the leisure service was performing and where future challenges and opportunities lay. It covered:
- A strategic review of national, regional and local policy to understand how leisure should contribute to health, wellbeing and climate priorities.
- Demographic and health profiling, which highlighted an ageing population, higher levels of inactivity and health inequalities compared to national averages.
- Catchment analysis, showing the reach of each centre and identifying under-represented groups such as older adults.
- Facility condition surveys, projecting future maintenance liabilities and identifying areas nearing the end of their life cycle.
- Operational and financial benchmarking, comparing performance with similar facilities nationally.
- Customer feedback and site visits, giving insight into user satisfaction and the quality of the experience.
This wide-ranging methodology gave the Council a comprehensive, evidence-based picture of the current position of its leisure estate.
Further Commission
Following the success of the initial review, Max Associates was commissioned by The Borough of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk to develop a detailed Capital Investment Strategy to guide the long-term future of the leisure estate.
Outcome
The strategy gave the Council a robust, evidence-led roadmap for investment, showing how modernised facilities could attract new users, tackle inactivity and contribute to wider regeneration. It provided the confidence to progress new development projects, which are now moving through the RIBA design stages, supported by Max Associates as part of the ongoing project team.
Together, the two commissions have given the Council a strong and credible platform to plan for the future, secure investment, and maximise the contribution of leisure to health, wellbeing and place-making outcomes.
Scope of Review
The investment strategy extended the evidence base and focused on how leisure could play a stronger role in regeneration, health and community development. This included:
- An assessment of future housing and regeneration plans, particularly the major growth and town centre projects in King’s Lynn.
- Fitness and swimming latent demand modelling, forecasting future usage and revenue potential.
- Competition analysis, mapping private and public sector provision to identify market positioning.
- Community and stakeholder engagement, capturing the views of residents, partners and young people to shape priorities.
- Development of an ideal facility mix for each site, ensuring provision met community needs while remaining sustainable.
- Financial appraisals and affordability, producing clear options for investment and long-term business planning.
This and comprehensive structured methodology ensured the Council could test different investment options and understand their community impact, affordability and long-term sustainability.
