A much-wanted swimming pool and health and leisure centres for Cranbrook could be a step closer three years after the idea was first floated by residents.
After residents in 2023 told East Devon District Council (EDDC) they wanted a leisure centre with a swimming pool, plus a health and wellbeing centre including GP services, the authority has drawn up early plans and launched a fresh public consultation.
The plan includes a site for the new Cranbrook Leisure, Health and Wellbeing Campus, with a proposed leisure centre at the southern end of the town centre, just north of Badger Way.
An artist’s impression of the proposed Cranbrook Leisure and Wellbeing Centre.
Image: AHR/EDDC.
An online survey, outlining the proposals and inviting feedback, opened on February 4.
And a residents can go along on Wednesday, February 11, to a drop-in event at the Cranberry Farm pub, where the early plans can be seen for a multi-use building combining leisure, fitness, swimming, and community spaces. The project team will be there, from 2pm until 8pm, to answer questions and gather feedback.
1: New Leisure Centre Building (Detailed design and planning application)
2: Town Centre Parking to serve the leisure centre and other uses (Detailed design and planning application)
3: Neighbourhood Health Centre (Outline design for future delivery)
4: Additional Development Site (Outline design for future delivery)
Image: EDDC.
Cllr Nick Hookway, EDDC member for culture, leisure, sport & tourism, said: “This is an exciting and long-awaited step for Cranbrook.
“Residents have made it clear that high-quality leisure, health, and wellbeing facilities are a top priority, and we’re thrilled to be moving forward with plans shaped directly by their feedback.
“I encourage everyone to check out the proposals and take part in the survey. Your views will help create a centre that works for the whole community.”
EDDC: ‘Following the 2024 masterplan, the design team reviewed several potential locations for the new Leisure Centre. The updated masterplan confirms the south‑east corner of the site as the preferred location’.
Image: EDDC.
The district council said several potential sites were looked and it was decided to locate the health and leisure centres on land near Tillhouse Road.
The district council said: “This site offers strong connectivity and sufficient space for the leisure centre and associated parking.
“Positioning the building south of Tillhouse Road leaves vacant sites to the north available for future development.
“As the land for the leisure centre is already owned by East Devon District Council, construction could begin without delay caused by land ownership.”
EDDC said:
- The Health & Wellbeing Campus site is divided into four zones and will be built in ‘phased’ stages, with the priority on the early completion of the leisure centre.
- A new landscaped pedestrian and cycle route will run north–south through the site, linking Tillhouse Road and Badger Way.
Since the first spade went into the ground in 2011, the town now has 3,500 new homes, two schools, a railway station, country park and supermarket. A nursery is expected to open in autumn 2026.
The district council said the Cranbrook Development Plan allocates land for a further 4,200 homes and the town will have around 20,000 residents.
