Cranleigh’s Delayed Leisure Centre Won’t Open Until Late 2027

Published on: 7 Dec, 2025
Updated on: 9 Dec, 2025

CGI of how the new Cranleigh Leisure Centre will look Waverley Borough Council

By Chris Caulfield

local democracy reporter

Cranleigh’s £31million flagship leisure centre won’t be open until winter 2027 at the earliest after delays and surging costs threatened to derail the project.

Plans for what Waverley Borough Council has described as a truly groundbreaking Passivhaus leisure centre were approved in February this year but building work has yet to begin.

The council has said this was because of planning and legal wrangles that took six months for all parties to agree on.

Passivhaus buildings are internationally recognised for energy efficiency with significantly reduced carbon footprints.

In that time, market conditions changed significantly, and costs soared leading to fears it may be scrapped altogether – fears that were only heightened when the flow of news surrounding the project dried to a trickle.

Cllr Ken Reed

It lead to Cllr Ken Reed (Lib Dem, Cranleigh East) to formally question what was happening during the Tuesday, December 2 full meeting of Waverley Borough Council.

He said it had been nine months since any formal update had been issued and construction was meant to have already begun. Now it appears that shovels will not be in the ground until summer 2026 – with a concrete opening time still a way off after that.

Cllr Liz Townsend

Responding, Cllr Liz Townsend (Lib Dem, Cranleigh West), portfolio holder for Planning and Economic Development said: “There are no plans at all to cancel this project that I am aware of.

“We have suffered from delays and obviously with all projects, all constructions projects have been subject to variations due to market conditions and this is very unfortunate,

“We will be going ahead with this project, it’s really important for Cranleigh and for this borough.”

She said Wilmot Dixon had been earmarked as their preferred bidder having worked on sustainable community infrastructure, including buildings such as Eclipse Leisure Centre, Hackbridge Primary School and Harris Academy Sutton.

The Waverley Conservative opposition group said the delay raised serious concerns as no clear explanation was given to why the budget had been blown off course so quickly.

Cllr Jane Austin

Group leader Councillor Jane Austin (Con, Bramley and Wonersh), said: “This delay is worrying news.

“With £31 million of public money already committed, residents deserve transparency and certainty.

“Each additional delay risks further cost escalation and prolonged disruption for local residents.

“Waverley Conservatives are deeply concerned that this signals not only further delays, but potentially significant additional costs to taxpayers. We will continue to press the administration for full disclosure and clear accountability – not unclear statements.”

Once completed the Cranleigh Leisure Centre will feature a six-lane, 25-metre swimming pool, large gym, multi-purpose studios within one of the greenest buildings in Waverley.