New Epping Leisure Centre
Work is progressing for the exciting development of the new Epping Leisure Centre. The centre will be located in Bakers Lane and replace the existing Epping Sports Centre in Hemnall Street, and forms one part of a wider development project for the town.
Energy efficient
Epping Leisure Centre will become the newest and most energy efficient in the district, supporting the council’s aim to become carbon neutral by 2030. As well as air-sourced heat pumps and digital technology, the centre will incorporate the highest levels of insulation into construction, keeping future energy bills and carbon emissions as low as possible.
Epping Leisure Centre facilities will include:
- A main swimming pool
- A learner pool
- Sports hall
- Health and fitness gym
- Studios
Partnerships and opportunities
Epping Leisure Centre will be delivered by Epping Forest District Council in partnership with Places Leisure. Pellikaan Construction Ltd is carrying out the construction work.
Places Leisure manages all the district’s leisure centres on behalf of the council. Residents may be familiar with Pellikaan Construction Ltd, as it is the same company that successfully built the Waltham Abbey Leisure Centre in 2017.
New Epping Leisure Centre updates
May 2025 – Councillors see fully tiled pools
The Leader, Councillor Chris Whitbread, along with Contracts Delivery Portfolio Holder, Councillor Ray Balcombe and Finance & Economic Development Portfolio Holder, Councillor Holly Whitbread attended a site visit on 13 May 2025.
Councillors viewed both swimming pools, which have now been fully tiled, with the first phase of the moveable floor installed in the learner pool. Externally, brick slip installation has commenced on the north and east elevations, and glazing works have been completed.
April 2025 – Artist’s impressions
Artist’s impressions of the new Epping Leisure Centre.
February 2025 – Stronger Places Committee and ward councillor site visit
Members of the Stronger Place Committee and Ward Councillors attended a site visit on 16 January 2025.
The councillors who visited the site saw the main pool filled as part of the testing process. The pool testing process ensures that all systems and structures function as expected, preparing it for the swimmers who will dive in before the end of the year. Both the learner pool and main pool have now passed their test and are moving into the preparation stage for tiling.
January 2025 – New time-lapse video
This updated time-lapse footage shows construction from November 2024 until early January 2025. Pellikaan have completed 75% of external cladding and 40% of roof installations.
November 2024 – Leisure Partnership Board site visit
The Leisure Partnership Board recently attended a site visit to see the progress made on the new Epping Leisure Centre building works.
Pellikaan has now installed 80% of the steel structure, which has allowed them to commence with both wall cladding works and roof installation.
November 2024 – New time-lapse video
This video is the fourth in our time-lapse footage series showing construction from July to September.
October 2024 – Progress update and recent site visit
Pellikaan has now completed excavation works, sheet pilling and Continuous Flight Auger piles, below ground drainage, and laying concrete for basement floor slabs, retaining walls and shells that will form both swimming pools.
Over the last 2 to 3 months, Pellikaan has removed approximately 10,000 cubic metres of soil from the site, installed 225 tonnes of steel reinforcement and poured 2,400 cubic metres of concrete.
The next milestone is to erect the structural steelwork, which will give a better feel for the size and shape of the building.
Children from Epping Primary School and Members of EFDC Cabinet were recently treated to a site visit to see the progress of building works.
- Read the full story here – Epping Leisure Centre update
June 2024 – Progress update and updated time-lapse footage
Pellikaan has now completed the reduced dig exercise as well as installing all the foundation piles for both the main swimming pool and the learner pool. This now allows the start of the construction of the building structure.
Over the coming 2 to 3 months, Pellikaan will be casting the concrete for all the basement floor slabs, retaining walls and the concrete shells that will form both swimming pools.
Since our April 2024 timelapse footage update, Pellikaan has added a second camera to provide an additional perspective on the build.
May 2024 – Pellikaan receives an Excellent Considerate Constructors Scheme rating for the project
Pellikaan has registered the Epping Leisure Centre project with the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CSS) and had their first site inspection in March. The CCS aims to raise standards within the construction industry and sites are monitored against a code of considerate practice, designed to encourage best practice beyond statutory requirements.
We are pleased to let you know that Pellikaan has received an Excellent rating for the Epping Leisure Centre site, scoring 14 out of 15 in each of the categories for:
- Respect the community
- Care for the environment
- Value their workforce
For further information about the scheme please visit www.ccscheme.org.uk.
April 2024 – Time-lapse footage of the works so far
Pellikaan has set up a time-lapse camera on site to record the complete construction of the new leisure centre. You can see how much has changed in a short space of time.
Pellikaan has excavated a significant amount of the existing ground in what will become the sports hall and squash courts in the basement level of the new leisure centre. To the east side of the site, Pellikaan has shaped up the ground where the swimming pools will be situated. The next step is install the concrete foundation piles to support these structures.
March 2024 – Time capsule buried
Children from Epping Primary School joined district councillors and representatives from Places Leisure and Pellikaan Construction, on Wednesday 6 March to mark the beginning of construction of the new leisure centre in Epping.
February 2024 – Silent piling
Pellikaan took formal possession of the site on 22 January 2024 and have established their site set up, commenced with the reduced dig exercise and sheet piling works. The next stage of the works is for Pellikaan to continue with the reduced dig exercise and complete the sheet piling installation.
Typically, sheet piles are installed using a driven method which are noisy and can create a lot of vibration. Considering where the site is situated and any potential disruption to the surrounding neighbourhood, Pellikaan have chosen a method called the Giken Silent Press which installs the sheet piles with almost no vibration and limited noise.
January 2024 – Epping time capsule at new leisure centre
Students at Epping Primary School gathered on Thursday 18 January for a special assembly to learn about and contribute to the creation of a time capsule that is to buried under the new Epping Leisure Centre.
During the assembly, Councillor Holly Whitbread, a former student at Epping Primary School and ward councillor, shared her enthusiasm for the new Epping Leisure Centre, which is being constructed on the former Bakers Lane car park site.
January 2024 – Contractor on site
The Bakers Lane car park closed on Tuesday 14 November 2023 to carry out necessary facilitating works for the project. This included securing the car park, site clearance, and site investigation surveys and testing.
The contractor, Pellikaan, will take formal possession of the site on Monday 22 January 2024, where they will start preparing the site for the upcoming works and installing the site set up such as security fencing, welfare facilities and the strip out of some of the existing foliage. Once this has been completed, Pellikaan will commence with the piling works before carrying out the excavation of the basement and swimming pools.
October 2023 – Work starts soon on new leisure centre
Contractors are expected to be on site shortly after the Bakers Lane car park closes to start site preparation and survey works for the new leisure centre.
Bakers Lane car park closes from midnight on Tuesday 14 November 2023. The new Epping Leisure Centre is estimated to open in 2025.
October 2021 – Planning application granted
The planning application for the new Epping Leisure Centre was granted at the District Development Management Committee meeting on 27 October 2021. It was 1 of 5 planning applications agreed as part of the redevelopment scheme for Epping.