South Derbyshire District Council (SDDC) commissioned Max Associates to develop a Built Facilities Strategy to support the emerging Local Plan, which was being prepared to set out the district’s vision and priorities up to 2039. A key driver of the strategy was to improve the health and wellbeing of South Derbyshire’s residents by ensuring that current and future facility provision meets the needs of the District’s significant population growth.
The Council operates two leisure centres: Etwall Leisure Centre and Green Bank Leisure Centre. Etwall Leisure Centre functions as a dual-use facility based at John Port Spencer Academy. Both centres are managed on the Council’s behalf by Everyone Active (SLM).
Another objective of the Built Facility Strategy was to provide evidence to determine the ideal facility mix and investment required for the replacement of Green Bank Leisure Centre, which is at the end of its shelf life.
Max Associates was also appointed to develop a Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) in parallel to the Built Facilities Strategy.
Outcome
The work undertaken by Max Associates provided South Derbyshire District Council (SDDC) with a comprehensive assessment of current and future needs for indoor sports and leisure facilities as well as guiding investment and development requirements within the authority area up to 2039. The BFS was adopted in Autumn 2025.
Summary of Project
SDDC wished to understand whether it has the right facilities in the right place to meet the current and future needs of its residents.
The Built Sports Facility Strategy followed Sport England’s ‘Assessing Needs and Opportunities Guidance’ (ANOG) for indoor and outdoor sporting facilities.
Sport England were involved from the start of the project, seeking their feedback on the draft report and recommendations.
Consultation – undertaken with National Governing Bodies, sports clubs, schools, community groups, and Active Derbyshire to obtain their local knowledge and overview of current and future supply and demand on facilities along with priorities for the local area. Neighbouring Local Authorities were also consulted to understand cross border issues and any impacts of new sports facility developments. Consultation where possible was combined with the playing pitch strategy engagement to ensure a combined approach.
Strategic, Demographic & Health Review – the report outlined the local context, including demographic data, levels of deprivation, and planned housing growth to understand key health issues and population statistics that could influence leisure facility provision. It also provided an overview of the national and local strategic framework.
Facility Planning Model (FPM) runs – were commissioned to understand the current demand for swimming and sports hall facilities
Facility Audit – we carried out an audit of the scope of facilities and visited the Council’s leisure centres and key indoor facilities in the district and completed a quality audit of the current provision. The facilities identified in the audit were mapped by 4global, who provided an interactive mapping tool including catchment analysis.
Competition Analysis – we assessed the physical activity opportunities in the local area, including commercial leisure such as soft play and climbing.
Supply and Demand Analysis – we set out the supply and demand analysis for sports halls, swimming pools, health & fitness, studios, squash, indoor bowls, indoor tennis and gymnastics
Condition surveys – a review was completed for the council’s leisure portfolio to understand the ongoing lifecycle requirements for each centre.
Recommendations – a set of recommendations were included within the report under the themes of ‘Protect, Enhance or Provide’.
