Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has selected the Sovereign Way Mid Car Park, close to the existing centre, as the location for the new building. There is plenty of parking nearby and the location is also easy to access from the town centre on foot or by public transport. Click to view map

Detailed designs for the replacement centre are currently being developed. At this stage, we’re aiming to provide significant improvements on what is available at the current centre.  These include flexible studio and meeting spaces, activities to support active ageing, children’s soft play, a larger gym and a spin studio as well as improved changing facilities and an on-site café.

The new centre will be highly energy efficient, using solar panels and air source heat pumps to provide electricity.

We are working with leisure industry experts to identify the best possible mix of facilities that can be accommodated in the new building. We’re also asking current users and the wider community for feedback on the outline proposals. Click here to access the survey

An important consideration in making final decisions is the ability for facilities to meet current and future demand so they can provide sufficient income to ensure the centre is economically viable.

The cost of the new centre is likely to be in the region of £19 million.  It will be funded by a combination of council reserves, borrowing and a contribution from the Tonbridge and Malling leisure trust (tmactive).

The current centre is more than 40 years old and much of the fabric and infrastructure has reached the end of its economic life. It’s also very energy inefficient and even with millions of pounds of investment may not be able to meet new carbon emission targets for public buildings.

The internal design is also problematic with redundant spaces, poor changing facilities and a layout that makes some areas hard for customers to access.

We hope to have the new centre open in 2028. The existing Angel Centre will remain open until then.

The new centre will be run by tmactive, the council’s leisure trust partner which operates the existing Angel Centre and other leisure facilities in the borough. The current joint membership with Tonbridge Pool will be retained.

The current Angel Centre will be unaffected and will remain open until the new facility is fully operational. Our current plans are for the existing centre to be demolished once the new one is completed. The site could then be redeveloped for other purposes as part of a wider regeneration of the surrounding area. See more on the Tonbridge Town Centre website