Chadderton Wellbeing Centre
The Chadderton Wellbeing Centre is the first of its kind in Oldham and brings together a range of organisations under one roof to deliver joined-up services at a local level.
The building houses a 25-metre swimming pool, a gym and fitness suite, library, café, community police support officer base and community meeting rooms.
This innovative approach not only ensures that the community has access to excellent fit for purpose facilities but is also a positive investment for the borough in terms of guaranteeing the provision of important services in a joined-up manner, and in a cost-effective way through the prudent use of space by multiple organisations.
The centre is the first LIFT project to be developed between Community 1st Oldham, where Equity Solutions is the private sector partner and the Local Authority and demonstrates the breadth of activities LIFT can participate in and successfully deliver.
Following the forced closure of the original Chadderton pool in 2007 due to health and safety concerns, the new development also demonstrates the speed at which LIFT can deliver, following the scheme’s financial close only 11 months after the appointment of Community 1st Oldham.
Community engagement was a key priority during the development of the centre in order to give the local community a chance to have a say in how the building would look. A number of projects were undertaken to involve the community in the design of a site hoarding for the construction site and designs for elements of the reception area, including the flooring, reception desk and glazed door to the library.
Oldham Council has significant targets for carbon reduction and for the energy performance of all its new buildings. To help achieve these targets, the centre was fitted with a bio-fuel combined heat and power (CHP) generating system, fuelled by a 100% sustainable bio-mass fuel based on waste used cooking oil. The CHP generating system will cut approximately 80% of the carbon released into the atmosphere and will also export electricity to the national grid during periods of low demand at the centre. The centre also utilises rainwater harvesting technology.
It is intended that the development of the Wellbeing Centre will act as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of Chadderton district centre. The relocation of the existing leisure facility and the revitalisation of the old depot site and surrounding area open up further phased redevelopment opportunities for the old swimming pool site and potential subsequent redevelopment of the main high street and retail area following the release of the old Chadderton health centre site.
Construction work commenced in May 2008 and the centre opened to the public in November 2009.
