The new Allander Leisure Centre opened its doors in March 2023, providing East Dunbartonshire residents with access to a state-of-the-art sports and leisure complex.
The original facility closed in January 2022 and was demolished with the new centre built in its place by the end of 2023.
McLaughlin & Harvey were the main contractor and the architectural design was by Holmes Miller, with support from Doig+Smith, Brown + Wallace and planning consultancy Stantec.
The Council worked closely throughout the process with partners including East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust (EDLCT) and East Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership.
To ensure community involvement, there were public exhibitions and online resources, as well as engagement with the Allander Champions Group, residents, community councils, facility users, residents' associations, and local schools.
The development was part of a £42.5 million investment by East Dunbartonshire Council as part of the Scape – Major Works – UK Frame-work. The funding was provided by the Council’s capital programme.
Sports facilities include:
- A 25m eight-lane swimming pool and 20m training pool with moveable floor.
- Sauna and steam vitality room.
- Hydrotherapy pool for use by people with learning disabilities, families with young babies and people with mobility issues.
- Gym and high & low intensity studios.
- State-of-the-art spin room.
- Eight-court games hall.
- Two squash courts.
- Sports Dome with two indoor football pitches and a tennis court.
The Allander also offers a brand-new support facility designed for adults with learning disabilities, which replaces the Kelvinbank Resource Centre in Kirkintilloch. The leisure centre was designed alongside East Dunbartonshire Council Health and Social Care Partnership who approved the Adult learning Disability Strategy 2018-23, which was committed to developing new day services for people with learning disabilities living in East Dunbartonshire. There are flexible meeting rooms, quiet spaces, offices, dementia, rebound, sensory and physiotherapy treatment rooms, as well as arts and crafts, dance, and music areas.
Provost Gillian Renwick officially opened the new Allander on February 14, 2024.
Karin Jackson, General Manager of EDLC Trust said, “The new Allander has been a massive success with daily use peaking as high as 2,000 visitors per day during February 2024. There was a total of 481,000 users by the end of 2023.
“We are especially proud of the success of the hydrotherapy pool which now has a balanced programme including warm baby, Additional Support Needs, quiet sessions, adult rehabilitation, and private hire. The NHS Vitality programme and low impact classes have proved to be extremely popular with additional classes being added to the programme due to demand.”
Alan Bauer, Executive Officer Assets and Facilities said, “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in delivering this project. This development shows a significant capital investment by the Council, which will greatly benefit the local community.”