Officials have given their backing to plans for a £65 million new King Alfred swimming pool and leisure centre on Hove seafront.
They have recommended that Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee be “minded to grant” planning permission for the scheme.
If councillors follow the advice, the planning application – submitted by the council to itself – would be approved subject to detailed agreements being finalised.
The application seeks permission to build the new pool and leisure centre on the western part of the existing King Alfred site – over the public car park and the old ten-pin bowling alley.
The plans include swimming pools, a sports hall, a gym and fitness suite, soft play area, event spaces, café and undercroft car park.
The council will be expected to create a temporary car park on the neighbouring section of the Western Lawns beside Hove Street South before the leisure centre can start operating.
Work to demolish the underground bowling alley was approved in February this year.
A total of 606 objections have been sent to the council by individuals and civic groups including the Brighton Society, Hove Civic Society, Keep and Retrofit the King Alfred Leisure Centre Campaign and the Dolphins Disabled Swimming Club.
Concerns include a reduction in the sports and leisure facilities that will be available, loss of family-orientated leisure and water play and the loss of a heritage building.
Objectors said that alternatives to the proposals should be considered and other designs considered including a retrofit.
The council has also received 49 representations in support of the plans saying that the fitness suite would be bigger, the new building more energy-efficient and that the project would support healthy lifestyles.
A petition with 1,917 signatures headed One Site One Plan has also been submitted.
This supports the proposals in principle but said that the site should be considered as one masterplan because the existing leisure centre location is expected to be sold for housing.
The council’s cabinet agreed to push ahead with the latest proposals last September, having approved the business case in July 2024.
The initial budget of £47.4 million was increased to £65 million last September to recognise rising costs and inflation in the construction sector, the cost of including an undercroft car park as part of the scheme, improved facilities and an entrance plaza.
At the same time, the council said that it expected to borrow between £38.6 million and £47.7 million from the Public Works Loan Board to help fund the project.
The cost of repaying the debt over 50 years would be between £1.95 million and £2.4 million a year.
The sale of about 60 per cent of the site for housing is expected to raise between £17.3 million and £26.4 million.
A report to the council’s cabinet last year said that the higher estimate included an assumption that Homes England would help fund the goal of 40 per cent of any new homes being classed as “affordable”.
The council’s Planning Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 2pm on Wednesday 29 July. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast.
Surprise surprise! Next they will be telling us it’s fit for purpose. It simply is not big enough, accessible or comprehensive enough for a growing population. It is an elitist development that relies on selling off public assets to subsidise it. I can guarantee it will not be built within the forecast budget and it will descend into another white elephant just like the i360 farce.
Reform have just shelved plans for a brand new leisure centre in Bradford. Despite their existing swimming pools and facilities being out of date and inefficient and expensive to run.
So if you were wondering about the agenda of loudest voices against this scheme, now you know.
Public Protest Against the Development
Hove Town Hall
1.00pm
Wednesday 29th July
Curiously, the report says that the fitlab gym is 180sq metres when it is 1160 sq metres. It is huge, a great asset, a serious and convivial gym which will be lost.
It’s only a Planning Officer’s report, the same as has to be produced for any major planning application.
Surprisingly, Ms Seale is recommending the New King Alfred be built in Rottingdean and West Saltdean Ward if you read page 1. There is no applicant’s name showing. She has also misled about the facilities being lost and their sizes in 6.2. There are many other errors and omissions in this 96 page report which shows the proposal is anything but ready for the Planning Committee meeting on 29th July. https://publicaccess.brighton-hove.gov.uk/online-applications/files/C4BE6D7B29DAB83DC4D555B392AB40B7/pdf/BH2026_00490-COMMITTEE_REPORT-21007311.pdf