The tearing down of an outdated Carlton leisure centre is expected to take place over a 12-week period.
Gedling Borough Council’s vision to transform the Richard Herrod Centre site into a brand new, modern leisure centre is progressing.
Boards and fences can be seen surrounding the centre on Foxhill Road, in preparation for demolition works that could start within days.
The Richard Herrod Centre has served the Carlton and wider Gedling community for decades, housing a dry ski slope between the 1960s and 1990s and acting as the home of Gedling Indoor Bowls Club from 1987 until 2026.
Its doors were closed at the start of May this year, following the bowls club’s lease expiring, and to kick start the council’s nearly £30 million replacement leisure centre, Carlton Active.
Carlton Active is intended to sit on the current Richard Herrod site in future, where the wider project also involves the demolition of the similarly “not fit for purpose” Carlton Forum site, in an effort to bring the area’s leisure facilities under one roof.
A spokesperson for the council says the redevelopment of the Richard Herrod site “continues to progress”, with the demolition contract arrangements now completed and works to bring the building down “expected to begin at the end of September”, meaning works could begin within days as we head towards October.
They continued: “Demolition is expected [to take] approximately 12 weeks, subject to site conditions.
“Plans for the new Carlton Active leisure centre are also progressing. The planning application is expected to be considered by the Planning Committee during autumn 2026.”
The authority says the construction start date and date for the opening of the new leisure centre cannot be confirmed at this stage, as this depends on the outcome of the planning application, completion of the detailed design of the site and funding arrangements.
In the summer, the first detailed designs of Carlton Active were formally submitted by the council, with planning documents displaying an eight-lane swimming pool, teaching pool, changing rooms, café, soft play area, community room, toilets and a studio with power-assisted equipment featuring on the ground floor.
The first floor would house a gym, two studios, changing and toilet facilities and a pool viewing area.
Though the project is progressing, it has been met with swathes of criticism during its development.
Gedling Borough Council has been routinely criticised for its decision not to include an indoor bowls facility in the Carlton Active project, despite it having been originally considered in the proposals.
This has meant the 300-member-strong Gedling Indoor Bowls Club was left effectively displaced from the end of April, with no solid alternative location to move into, leaving people concerned that members, many of whom are older, could be left “isolated”.
Councillor Henry Wheeler (Lab), portfolio holder for lifestyles, health and wellbeing, previously told the authority’s cabinet that a six-rink bowls facility in the plans would add between £5.6 million to £7.7 million to capital costs, leaving the council a subsidy of around £500,000 a year.
The council has previously said more than £2 million in backlog works were required for the two existing leisure centres in Carlton, which, along with a £545,000 yearly subsidy, made them “unsustainable in their current form”.
The new Carlton Active building is designed to have 154 parking spaces, 15 motorbike spaces, and 81 bicycle spaces.
