Cozenton Park Sports Centre officially opens today, Wednesday, 17 July.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held yesterday, and attended by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Col Peter Gilbert QVRM TD DL VR; the Mayor of Medway, Marian Nestorov; MP for Gillingham and Rainham, Naushabah Khan; Medway Council Leader, Cllr Vince Maple, and representatives from the Royal Life Saving Society and Swim England.
Visitors can now head to the centre and get down to the serious business of working up a sweat in the gym or flying down the flume in total exhilaration. The first new council-built sports centre in Medway for over 30 years, Cozenton Park is a modern, fit-for-purpose facility offering a leisure pool and lane swimming along with a state-of the-art gym, and dance and fitness studio.
While many local pools are facing closure around the UK, we are swimming against the tide by opening this new site – which will become a huge draw for residents and visitors alike.
Designed by Space and Place and built by Willmott Dixon Construction Limited, the centre has also been crafted with sustainability in mind, with high levels of insulation to minimise heat loss, and a building shape designed to reduce the surface area of external walls.
Energy-saving features include LED lights installed throughout the building, and the pool is heated mainly with heat pumps powered by solar panels on the roof. New technology is also used to create waves in the pool making a ‘wave ball’ - which is estimated to use less than 10% of the energy used to create waves in the former Splashes centre – which Cozenton Park Sports Centre replaces.
Furthermore, accessibility features include two hi-tech pool lifts, wide entrances, Changing Places room, and accessible lockers, toilets and showers.
Accessibility and sustainability at the heart of its design
Cllr Nina Gurung, Portfolio Holder for Heritage, Culture and Leisure, said: “This is an exciting week for everyone in Medway, and I want to welcome everyone to what will be a fantastic community asset for local residents and superb attraction for visitors from near and far. I also want to thank everyone who’s been involved in the centre – from the designers and builders to the staff who work here – for making it a place we can all be truly proud of. Some amazing work has gone into making Cozenton Park Sports Centre a shining example of what a modern leisure centre should be, with accessibility and sustainability at the heart of its design.
“I know thousands will get to enjoy Cozenton Park and I hope it will become a hub of fun and fitness for decades to come!”
Great asset for the people of Medway
Tom Blakeley, Business Engagement Manager at Swim England, says: "We are thrilled to see the long-awaited opening of the new leisure facility at Cozenton Park, which includes a fantastic 25m lane pool, as well as a leisure pool with a flume. The new Cozenton Park Sports Centre is a great asset for the people of Medway.
“As training provider for Swim England, the Institute of Swimming will be providing the aquatics component for Medway Council’s Leisure Team Member apprentices, in partnership with Creative Sport and Leisure. This means that all apprentices at Cozenton Park Sports Centre will be going through our comprehensive and high-quality Level One and Level Two Swimming Teacher qualifications. The courses will be starting later this year, and are also open to the general public, and will help Medway Council develop and grow its aquatic workforce, ensuring that every child in Medway has the opportunity to learn this essential life skill.”
While the new leisure pool and impressive flume is bound to be a big attraction for children – and probably more than a few adults – fitness enthusiasts will be able to find some equally attractive equipment at the centre.
The state-of-the-art gym - lit with natural light from panoramic windows – is packed with top level equipment including treadmills featuring 18.5-inch bluetooth and internet-enabled screens, along with elite bikes, rowers, Stepmills, and cross trainers.
There are also plate-loaded resistance machines and free weights, while Premier Members get access to another Medway first - the Tanita machine, providing users with body composition analysis.
Premier Memberships give residents the ultimate experience with priority booking for Cozenton Park Sports Centre 15 days in advance plus a host of other benefits and discounts, such as personalised fitness pathway, exclusive gym and swimming sessions, 30% discount on swimming lessons and 25% discount on Medway Sport parties.
Gym-goers will also get to experience a first for Medway Sports Centres: a new digital wristband from Pulse Fitness will be available exclusively for Premier Members, allowing users to easily track their completed workouts and analyse their data via the TRAKK mobile app.
Swimming, leisure pool and fitness class sessions must be pre-booked online. Other members can book 10 days in advance, and non-members can book 7 days in advance.
Find out more information about Cozenton Park Sports Centre, including how to book.