Plans revealed to tear down old ‘uninspiring’ Selston leisure centre
Plans to tear down an old and ‘uninspiring’ village leisure centre as part of a wider school revamp project have been put forward.
Back in November 2025, Ashfield Council agreed to spend £1m investing in revamping sports facilities at Selston High School to make them more accessible to village residents.
The cash would go towards a new ‘high-quality’ four-court sports hall with studio space as part of the first phase of the wider refurbishment project.
In February, the Two Counties Trust, which runs the school, confirmed its proposals for phase two, which include using part of the school’s central courtyard to create a new dining room, kitchen and upgraded library.
The third phase relates to refurbishment of the school’s alternative provision facilities and phase four includes the demolition of the existing leisure centre within the site and the relocation of the staff car park.
Now, the trust’s formal plans to tear down the ‘derelict’ leisure centre are awaiting approval by the council’s planning team.
The ‘outdated’ and ‘uninspiring’ leisure centre was built in 1974 and sits away from the other sports facilities.
During the Covid-19 pandemic it was closed, only partially re-opening for community use since.
Documents state: “This was largely due to the poor condition of the space and the high costs required to upgrade.
“The school continue to operate the facilities for school use, with a large part of the building given over to an examination centre, thus limiting its current use for sports facilities during large parts of the year.”
The relocation of staff car parking is due to the trust wanting better safety and security for students, who currently travel through the car parks during the day.
It is proposed the new staff parking will be accessible from the existing drop-off car park.
The new sports block is proposed for the north-east of the school site on one of the existing paved sports pitches.
Five-out-of-six of the current outside playing courts will be retained.
Its creation will provide better community facilities for the village and allow residents to use the hall in the evenings, at weekends and during school holidays.
A spokesperson for the school said they ‘currently expect the development to progress in line with the planned timetable’
The council will decide on the plans at a later stage.