In September 2021, Northeast Derbyshire District Council tasked Pulse Fitness and its leading arm Pulse Design and Build, with re-designing and developing the redundant Killamarsh Leisure Centre.

The Council was keen for the centre to be re-designed to create a contemporary facility that maximised the space on offer to provide multiple leisure services to the community, all under one roof.

Following previous successful projects such as Go Active! @ The Arc, Bolsover, the council had confidence that Pulse would deliver on its vision.

A challenging redesign
In the years leading up to the Council’s ownership of the property, the Killamarsh Leisure Centre building had received little structural maintenance or development. In early 2020, during the Coronavirus pandemic, the centre sat closed and unattended, worsening existing areas of structural concern.

As a result, when the Pulse Design and Build team began the redevelopment, multiple issues with the building structure were discovered. The structural support had been left in poor condition and was inconsistent with structural drawings, making it difficult to proceed with the planned work. Adding to the challenge, the Pulse team discovered that much of the building’s structure was affected by asbestos, meaning the surrounding support of the reception, bar area and main entrance had to be removed to rectify the issue before any further development could go ahead.

A Pulse transformation
Keen to develop a multifunctional space for the local community, Pulse Fitness carried out a £2m refurbishment project, redesigning and restructuring the entire Killamarsh Leisure Centre building.

This included introducing a newly-designed sports hall which was remodelled with a mezzanine viewing platform created to add extra dimension to the space, as well as delivering on the council’s vision of creating a community-focused space.

Pulse was responsible for fitting state-of-the-art facilities throughout, including the newly-designed 80-station gym which benefits from over £300,000 of equipment from Pulse Fitness. The two-storey gym was renovated from a tired, uninviting and demotivating space into a slick and modern facility overlooking the sports hall. Meanwhile, the installation of a three-storey soft play kingdom was one of the biggest transformations to come out of the renovation and ensures that local residents of all ages are able to enjoy the new centre.

The opening day
Led by Pulse Design and Build and supported by Pulse Fitness and Pulse Solutions, Killamarsh Active was officially opened to the community on the 1 October 2022.

“It’s always a delight to work with the team at Pulse,” said a representative of Northeast Derbyshire District Council.

“As a previous partner, we thoroughly trusted the redevelopment of Killamarsh Active when placed in the hands of the Pulse team. Their industry expertise has helped shape the entire project from initial design and planning to development and implementation and we’re delighted with the final completion.

The re-opening of the leisure centre has created a real buzz in the local community, offering local residents of all ages and backgrounds a place to meet and to develop healthy and fun lifestyles from the vast array of different activities that we are able to now offer.”

More: www.pulsefitness.com