Lord Mayor, Councillor Daniel Baker (second from left), is joined at the unveiling of a plaque to officially open the new £15 million Brook Leisure Centre today by (from left to right) Gareth Kirk, Regional Director of GLL, Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive of Belfast City Council and Alderman Brian Kingston, Chair of Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.
Lord Mayor, Councillor Daniel Baker, officially opened the new £15 million Brook Leisure Centre today (17 January) following a busy first month when it welcomed almost 8,000 visitors.
Brook, which will focus largely on outdoor leisure provision, is the third of seven new centres to open as part of Belfast City Council’s £105 million Leisure Transformation Programme – the biggest investment in leisure services in the UK.
Key facilities include two 3G pitches suitable for Gaelic and soccer, covered and uncovered five-a-side soccer pitches, a hurling wall, a playground, a 60 station gym, a sports hall and a multi-purpose room. It also brings swimming to the Brook area for the first time with the addition of a four lane, 25 metre pool that can be transformed into a sensory pool – the first in Belfast.
The Lord Mayor said: “I’m very excited to be opening this outstanding new centre today. The new Brook will welcome sports clubs and users from all over Belfast and further afield, and the facilities will also play a vital role in improving health and wellbeing in the local community, which is a central aim of the Belfast Agenda, the city’s community plan.
“The investment in leisure services in Belfast is unrivalled. Crucially, these five star facilities will be available at three star prices so that they are accessible to everyone in the city.
“With that principle in mind, I am also delighted to confirm that a proposal is being submitted to Council this month seeking approval for the pilot family membership scheme, currently on trial at Olympia, to be rolled out citywide in March. Over the summer this pilot will be reviewed, with the intention to launch a fully developed family leisure membership package in the autumn.”
Gareth Kirk, Regional Director of GLL, said: “GLL is proud and excited to officially open Brook Leisure Centre for the public’s full use. Following on from the amazing success of Olympia and Lisnasharragh opening last week, leisure and fitness facilities right across Belfast are truly outstanding. GLL’s partnership with Belfast City Council is committed to helping people across the city become more active more often. The opening of Brook and Lisnasharragh is a massive step forward in this mission.”
“Brook is a first class sporting facility with endless opportunities for training and development, especially in outdoor sporting activity. With the first of its kind hurling wall, and the largest sensory pool in the UK and Ireland, Brook has transformed into a remarkable centre for all people.”
“Brook has already seen an influx of new members, and with over 3,500 visits to the centre in the past month, we are confident that the centre will be a real success for the wider community.”
“We look forward to welcoming even more of the local community to come and check out these two outstanding new centres in the coming weeks.”
Further details on the council’s £105 million Leisure Transformation Programme can be found at www.belfastcity.gov.uk/transformingleisure. For information of the new facilities at Brook, visit www.better.org.uk/brook