Cozenton Park Sports Centre, Rainham

(Note - thank you to B&K Structures for the pictures above)

We teamed up with Medway Council to deliver Cozenton Park, a new leisure centre with swimming pools, gym, fitness studio and cafe that replaced the former Splashes Leisure Centre.

This is the first new council-built sports centre in Medway for over 30 years, providing 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.

High levels of sustainability

Designed by Space and Place, the centre has 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.

A leisure place for all

The family-friendly facility includes a children’s fun pool with flume, wave ball pool and beach area, and a training pool for lane swimming and lessons, along with a fitness gym and room for exercise classes and children’s parties.

While the new leisure pool and impressive flume is a big attraction for children – and probably more than a few adults – fitness enthusiasts can find some equally attractive equipment at the centre. A 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.

Strategy for community health and wellbeing

Cozenton Park supports the council’s ambition of providing more child-friendly facilities and further opportunities for young people, including family and accessible changing rooms.

Medway Council invested £23.7million to replace the former Splashes, which was demolished in February 2022 after extensive surveys were carried out to assess the building’s condition.

Local pride

Cllr Nina Gurung, Portfolio Holder for Heritage, Culture and Leisure:

“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!”

Medway Council leader Cllr Vince Maple:

“This fantastic facility will be rightfully enjoyed by thousands and thousands of residents both here in Medway and further afield as well. We have had challenges along the way but this programme has come in under budget which is fantastic. What we have now is a state-of-the-art facility and the most accessible swimming pool certainly in North Kent."

Great asset for the people of Medway

Tom Blakeley, Business Engagement Manager at Swim England:

"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.”

This new generation leisure centre represents the latest in Willmott Dixon’s extensive track-record in Kent. The company has developed three of the buildings at The University of Kent’s Canterbury campus - the business school, school of economics and medical school - and completed two projects for North Kent College - a performing arts building and a motor vehicle workshop. Earlier this year, it completed The Amelia Scott in Tunbridge Wells, which involved regenerating a grade II listed building into a cultural and learning hub.