Plans have been submitted to demolish the outdated Wonford Sports Centre in Exeter and replace it with a new leisure hub featuring a café, studio, gym and football changing facilities. The £6 million project, approved by councillors in March, has now been formally applied for by the city council to its own planning department.
The application covers the refurbishment of the existing Wonford Sports Centre and Community and Learning Centre, including the demolition of the current gym, Phoenix Centre and outdoor changing rooms. A new hub will be built to accommodate a café area, changing facilities, studio and gym, along with new football changing facilities.
When the full council discussed the project in March, Cllr Tony Wardle (Lab, Priory) said: "Something needs to be done. Without significant investment the building would have to close, and I don’t think anyone in the city wants that to happen. It’s a 1980s building that looks like an institution. The talking about it has been going on for years and the community has waited long enough. Let’s get on with it."
The centre is popular with its local community. Online reviewers have praised staff for being exceptionally friendly, helpful and welcoming to beginners, especially during group activities such as pickleball. Some active members say they have used the gym and football pitches for decades, and locals value the cost-effective access, which prevents them from having to pay premium private gym rates.
The project will be partly funded by developers building homes around the city, who are required to contribute cash to improve facilities in their areas. Sport England is also prepared to provide funding for the new hub, which will serve Wonford, an area with some of the poorest health figures and lowest levels of physical activity in the city. Councillors have been told the project must be completed by summer 2028 to qualify for the funding.
"It is transformational," said the council's director for place, Ian Collinson. "It’s about people, it’s about community, it’s about activity, sport and wellbeing."
The planning application is likely to be decided by the end of the year.
Exeter Sports Centre Replacement Plans Submitted for New Leisure Hub