Bransbury Park Leisure Centre
Supporting the council in delivering opportunities for increased health and wellbeing for a more connected community
Willmott Dixon has completed the main structural works to both swimming pools at Bransbury Park Leisure Centre in Portsmouth, a new leisure and primary care hub being delivered for Portsmouth City Council that will give residents in the south-east of the city a place to swim, train and see their GP in the same building.
Willmott Dixon hosted an event on site to mark the milestone, attended by representatives from Portsmouth City Council, project partner Mace, NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight and local healthcare providers. With the pool structures in place, the scale and layout of the centre can now be seen for the first time.
Procured through the Southern Construction Framework (SCF), the two-storey centre will include a 25-metre, four-lane swimming pool, a learner pool, a 65-station gym, two group exercise studios and a GP surgery. Outside, an upgraded artificial turf pitch and a floodlit multi-use games area will be open to the public. Work started on site in March 2026, with completion scheduled for winter 2027.
Councillor Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council, said:
“The completion of the pool structures is a significant achievement for the Bransbury Park project and brings us another step closer to providing modern, high-quality facilities that will benefit residents for years to come. The new centre will create opportunities for people of all ages to be active, learn to swim, improve their health and wellbeing, and enjoy sport close to home.”
The project forms part of the council’s wider investment of more than £40m in sport and leisure facilities over the past decade.
Health and leisure under one roof
The event also gave attendees a first look at progress on the GP surgery, which will bring primary care services into the centre alongside its leisure facilities, creating a single community destination for health, wellbeing and physical activity.
James Roach, Director for Neighbourhood Health at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said:
“I am very pleased to see the progress being made at Bransbury Park. It is so important that we ensure healthcare services are sustainable and at the heart of our communities and this development has that aim at its core. We can be proud of what is a real neighbourhood health centre for the local population.”
Richard Poulter, Managing Director for Willmott Dixon in the South, said:
“Completing the pool structures means residents can now see the scale of what Portsmouth is getting: a centre where people can swim, train and see their GP in the same building. That is a credit to the whole project team and the close working we have had with the council, Mace and our NHS partners. We bring the experience of more than 160 leisure centres delivered in the past decade to Bransbury Park. Bringing leisure and primary care together is where community infrastructure is heading, and this centre will serve local people for generations.”
Community engagement has been part of the project from the start, with Year 5 pupils from Milton Park Primary School designing artwork displayed on the site hoarding.
Leisure and integrated community facilities track record
Willmott Dixon has completed more than 160 leisure centres in the past decade. On the south coast, the company was appointed by Brighton & Hove City Council as preferred contractor for the £65m transformation of the King Alfred Leisure Centre, a seafront leisure destination, and in Kent it built Dartford’s Fairfield Leisure Centre. In the North East, its recent work includes the transformation of Eston Pool.
Bransbury Park also reflects the company’s growing portfolio of buildings that bring public services together on one site. In Stockport, Willmott Dixon is completing the £20m Marple Community Hub, which combines a five-lane swimming pool, library, fitness suite and the relocated Marple Clinic. In south-west London, it is delivering the £30m regeneration of Barnes Hospital, also procured through SCF, which brings together a new NHS community mental health facility and the London River Academy, a special school for children with social, emotional and mental health needs.