Willmott Dixon completes pool structures at Portsmouth's Bransbury Park leisure and GP hub

Willmott Dixon has finished the main structural works on both swimming pools at Bransbury Park Leisure Centre in Portsmouth, the combined leisure and GP surgery hub it is building for Portsmouth City Council.

The contractor hosted an event on site to mark the milestone, attended by representatives from the council, project partner Mace, NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight and local healthcare providers, Willmott Dixon said.

The two-storey centre will include a 25-metre four-lane pool, a learner pool, a 65-station gym, two group exercise studios and a GP surgery, according to the contractor. It was procured through the Southern Construction Framework (SCF).

Councillor Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council, said: "The completion of the pool structures is a significant achievement for the Bransbury Park project and brings us another step closer to providing modern, high-quality facilities that will benefit residents for years to come."

The programme

Willmott Dixon said work started on site in March 2026, with completion scheduled for winter 2027. The company announced the start of construction on 25 March 2026, when a groundbreaking ceremony was held outside the neighbouring Eastney Community Centre.

The council's own progress log gives a slightly different sequence. It said enabling works were due to begin on 13 April 2026 with the site compound, hoardings and groundworks, after clearance of the old courts, and it expects the project to be finished in 2027.

By June 2026, both pools had been fully excavated and foundation work was under way, the council said. A relocated play area opened in June after safety checks, and in July the council said hoardings carrying artwork by Year 5 pupils from Milton Park Primary School were being installed.

Richard Poulter, Managing Director for Willmott Dixon in the South, said: "Completing the pool structures means residents can now see the scale of what Portsmouth is getting: a centre where people can swim, train and see their GP in the same building."

Health and leisure together

The GP surgery will cost £1.5m, with the cost recovered through rent, according to the council. Willmott Dixon's project page says the new healthcare facilities are intended to relieve pressure on the existing GP practice on Devonshire Avenue.

James Roach, Director for Neighbourhood Health at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, described the scheme as a real neighbourhood health centre for the local population.

The project team comprises Portsmouth City Council, GT3 Architects, Mace and the NHS, Willmott Dixon said.

Background

The council chose Willmott Dixon as preferred contractor for the Eastney scheme in September 2023, ahead of a planning submission that autumn. At that time Pitt was the council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure & Economic Development. The council's planning committee unanimously approved the scheme on 18 December 2024.

The council said Eastney pool has permanently closed and been demolished. The park's miniature railway and Eastney Community Centre are being kept.

The council said the site is within walking distance of more than 35,000 residents and near five schools, which will be able to use the learner pool. In consultation, 78% of respondents said they were likely to visit a new physical activity and community hub at Bransbury Park.

The council also now intends to keep Wimbledon Park Sports Centre open for another decade, following investment from BH Live and the council.

Willmott Dixon said the project forms part of the council's wider investment of more than £40m in sport and leisure facilities over the past decade. The council's own Bransbury Park page describes its city-wide sport investment as totalling nearly £20m since 2017.

The contractor's leisure work

Willmott Dixon said it has completed more than 160 leisure centres in the past decade, including more than 100 swimming pools. It is also delivering Leighton Linslade Leisure Centre in Bedfordshire and the heritage refurbishment of Seymour Leisure Centre in Westminster.

James Wright, Head of the Southern Construction Framework (South East and London), said at the start on site that SCF was proud to support the council and Willmott Dixon on a facility with a lasting positive impact on the community.

Willmott Dixon's project page gives a completion date of Q4 2027.