The final blog in the series, developed with the team at LK2.

Over the last few weeks, we have shared a trilogy of articles, each giving insight into a project that has captured the hearts and minds of the LK2 team since it first crossed our desks some ten years ago.

The Southampton Outdoor Sports centre represents one of the UK’s most significant, wide-ranging community sports projects. As a team, we are proud to have been the guiding force behind such a transformational design with enormous social, health and community benefits.

Our team looked beyond the £12m brief to see a gateway for large-scale sport and leisure regeneration. We envisioned a revitalised community-centric offer to enhance existing sports provision, upgrade facilities, and unearth new revenue streams. The result is a self-sustainable project with significant community and commercial value.

As that vision comes to fruition, we reflect on what we believe to be a master plan of improvements. In today’s concluding article, we appreciate an inspirational design for a facility that will deliver wide-ranging health, social and community benefits with projected monetarised benefits of £98.8 million, a far cry from the £12k project surfaced in 2013.

A catalyst of imagination, our specialist team spearheaded the support of multiple partners, unlocked new income streams and maximised strategic and capital revenue to revitalise the Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre.

A comprehensive and strategic rationalisation ensued, benefiting all sports with enhanced facilities. Previously underutilised sports have also made way for additional provisions for high-participation sports and much-needed car parking to cope with increasing demand. Moreover, our commercial mindset helped unlock an additional £20m from the Levelling up fund and £4m from the Football Foundation, a boost in funding that stretched the project far beyond its original remits and enabled a complete overhaul and full modernisation of all facilities.

Standing proud on the park’s skyline is the Alpine Snowsports Centre, a facility transformed as part of the regeneration and now presents a popular attraction for the South coast. A new two-storey ski lodge, and learner slope extension, will maximise revenue-generating capability and ensure the sustainability and enjoyment of the facility for many years to come.

However, the proposed landmark building for the centre is the community hub; standing proud in its urban parkland setting, the community hub gives the landscape a positive focus. A striking revenue-generating venue that lays in peace with its environment unites sport and maintains community connectivity through its unrivalled participation offer. Designed to BREAAM Excellent standards, will see the use of green living walls and a sustainable building design.

The context of the Park’s environment was intrinsic to this building. In our design, the team ensured that the community hub and the surrounding satellite facilities work harmoniously with the natural landscape. We are promoting an earthy mix of natural tones and organic materials that shine bright on our commitment to ecology. A promise that is shown in the biodiverse, green, and self-vegetating roof that beautifully shelters the community hub.

Now home to an indoor sports hall for netball and tennis, a fitness suite, changing village, a café and the added benefit of meeting spaces for hire, the community hub provides a blend of sports in a flexible space that capitalises secondary spending and enhances the business plan. Whilst outside, the designs showcase three 3G Artificial Grass Pitches, a unique feat for any venue other than St George’s Park, London, and what was an old concrete boating pond will now be a bustling family zone. A fully inclusive place where children can learn to cycle, play, skateboard, or enjoy ice cream in the summer.

What we have designed in Southampton is a masterplan of improvements and, with its roots firmly in the community, will undoubtedly enhance sports, health, and well-being provision. However, as we await next week’s planning approval, we must brace ourselves as what we see before us signals a game-changing shift in community leisure provision.