Southampton City Council seeks a new future for St Mary’s Community and Leisure Centre

The council is looking for a charity or community group to lease St Mary’s Community and Leisure Centre at a low cost for a long term, starting in April

Although the building will remain wholly owned by Southampton City Council, the council is looking for an organisation with the vision and commitment required to enable greater use of the building to support diverse communities and a wide range of needs.

St Mary’s Community and Leisure Centre has been an integral part of the local community for many years and offers a wide range of facilities, including leisure, wellbeing and community uses, with a range of sporting facilities and space for groups, clubs and event. The centre is currently managed by Active Nation.

We appreciate the importance of the venue for the surrounding communities and are seeking an organisation that will work alongside residents, voluntary sector organisation and community groups to complement existing activities with a varied programme of activities and usage.

The council is seeking a new organisation to maximise the use of the centre and use it to support the community.

Building repairs which includes works to the roof will be carried out by the council to ensure that St Mary’s Community and Leisure Centre is safe and usable. Further details will be confirmed in March.

Councillor Lorna Fielker, Leader of Southampton City Council said:

“St Mary’s Community and Leisure Centre is a much loved and much needed community building that means a lot to the local community and groups who use it.

“The council is committed to fixing the roof and getting the building into a safe state for a community organisation to take it on and develop their own exciting plans. This marks and exciting new chapter in the history of the building which will benefit the local community”. 

If you are interested in applying, please address the areas outlined in the assessment criteria in a business case which covers what is being offered to the community, plans to support the wider needs of the city, and community impact and access.

The assessment criteria can be found on our website and will need to be submitted by Sunday 2 March. Once the application closes, the business cases will be reviewed by a range of stakeholders. Further information about the successful organisation will be shared once a decision has been made.

If you have any questions please get in touch by emailing: stmarys@southampton.gov.uk.