The new £33.9m centre took 57,000 visits in July, up 83% on the old one, and 28,774 swims in August. The council's own figures, and the one it leaves out.

Leighton Buzzard’s new £33.9m leisure centre took more than 57,000 visits in July and 56,000 in August, against about 31,000 a month at the building it replaced. Central Bedfordshire Council published the figures on 10 September, eleven weeks after the centre opened.

That is roughly 25,000 extra visits a month. The council puts the increase at 83% in July and 81% in August, measured against attendance before the new centre opened. (Central Bedfordshire Council, 10 September 2026)

The council’s figures for the first full months are:

  • more than 57,000 visits in July and 56,000 in August, against about 31,000 a month at the previous facility
  • fitness membership up by 2,012, an increase of 57%
  • swimming lesson memberships up from 1,546 to 1,735
  • 28,774 swimming visits in August
  • gym attendance above 18,000 visits in July and August

The swimming number is the one worth pausing on. At 28,774 visits in August, more than half of everyone who came through the doors that month came for one of the three pools.

Bar chart comparing about 31,000 monthly visits at the previous facility with more than 57,000 in July 2026 and 56,000 in August 2026
Monthly visits before and after the centre opened, on the council's own figures. Graphic by Leighton Buzzard News.
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The number the council does not give

The release says fitness membership grew by 2,012 and that the growth was 57%. Work that back and the previous membership base was about 3,530, and the total now is about 5,540. The council does not publish either figure.

There is also a gap inside the release itself. The body says the centre attracted “an additional 2,012 fitness members”. The quote from Councillor Steve Watkins in the same release says it attracted “more than 2,300 fitness members in just a few months”. The two numbers are not reconciled anywhere in the release, and the council does not say which measure the 2,300 refers to.

Cllr Watkins holds the executive portfolio for business, housing and public assets, which covers leisure. (Central Bedfordshire Council, executive appointments, 7 January 2026)

The same caution applies to the visit figures. The council describes the old baseline only as “around 31,000” at the previous facility, without saying which months it covers. July and August are the school holidays, when any pool is busy. The council itself expects usage to keep growing “as families return to regular school-term routines”, which is a prediction rather than a result. The autumn numbers will be the real test.

What was built, and what it cost

The centre opened to the public on Saturday 27 June 2026. Construction started in October 2024 and it was built by Willmott Dixon. The council puts the investment at £33.9m. (Central Bedfordshire Council, Leighton Leisure and Community Centre)

It sits north of Clipstone Brook, off Briggington Way, at Pursuit Way, LU7 3SS. It is run by Everyone Active on the council’s behalf.

The building has:

  • an eight-lane, 25-metre pool with 130 spectator seats
  • a 17m by 10m learner pool with a movable floor
  • a separate shallow “confidence water” pool for very young children
  • a 150-station fitness suite, two squash courts, a group cycle studio, two exercise studios and a reformer pilates studio
  • a café open to the public as well as to centre users, flexible community spaces and two Changing Places facilities
  • 219 car parking spaces, 22 electric vehicle charging points and 36 cycle spaces

It replaces Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre, which is now closed. The sports hall and squash courts on the Tiddenfoot site are part of Cedars Upper School and remain open for public use.

What it means for you

If you have not been yet, the practical details are these.

  • Address: Pursuit Way, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 3SS. Telephone 01525 375765.
  • Opening hours: 6am to 10pm Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm Saturday, 7.30am to 9pm Sunday. (Everyone Active)
  • Parking: 219 spaces on site, with 22 EV charge points, accessible bays, drop-off areas and 36 cycle spaces. If you normally drive into town instead, our parking in Leighton Buzzard page has the town centre tariffs.
  • Getting there: the centre is east of the town centre off Briggington Way. Check our roadworks and travel page before you set off, as several town centre streets are closed from 14 September.
  • If you used Tiddenfoot: the pool there has gone, but the sports hall and squash courts are still available through Cedars Upper School.
  • Prices and timetables are set by Everyone Active, not the council, and are published on the operator’s own site. We have not reproduced them here because they change.

Three of the busiest things in the building are free of the gym membership question entirely: the café is open to the public, the community spaces can be hired, and the confidence pool exists for children who are not yet swimming. More places to take a family on a wet Saturday are on our things to do in Leighton Buzzard page.

What to watch

Two things will show whether the summer was a spike or a new level.

  1. Term-time attendance. The council has set its own test by predicting growth once school routines resume. September and October figures, if the council publishes them, will settle it.
  2. Swimming lesson places. Lesson memberships rose by 189 over the period, from 1,546 to 1,735, a rise of about 12%. That is far slower growth than the 57% on fitness membership, and lesson capacity is limited by pool time and teachers rather than by demand.

Sources