King Alfred Leisure Centre
An activated new destination on Hove’s esplanade
Our aspiration is to create a vibrant setting for the new King Alfred Leisure Centre that celebrates its unique location on the seafront for the enjoyment of the people of Hove.
Design of the public realm is intended to encourage more people to participate more often in activity, leisure and sport through creating an appealing destination.
These are the outcomes that all landscape architecture design decisions have been rigorously tested by, with wellness and wellbeing at the heart.
The process was founded on projecting the unique identity of Hove, a thorough understanding of site conditions, requirements of the facility and opportunities for activity for all communities.
A new civic space is created that connects town and sea, opening onto the promenade with south facing steps, benches, loungers and an outdoor performance space that has been identified as a venue for the annual Brighton Festival amongst other events.
The green setting has been critical to increase attractiveness for leisure centre users and visitors alike whilst also playing a key role in the Biodiversity Net Gain with exploration of a vegetated shingle roof amongst a broad suite of ecological interventions.
Active travel is promoted with covered facilities for bicycles and cargo bikes, with docking stations provided for civic electric bikes.
With ecological mitigation already starting to establish on site, we look forward to construction of the main works starting later in 2026, opening doors to visitors in 2028 with the current leisure centre only then closing.
LOCATION Hove, Sussex
CLIENT Brighton & Hove City Council
TEAM Hadron GT3 Architects Engenuity VZDV Harper Environmental
CONTRACTOR Wilmott Dixon
STATUS Planning Application lodged March 2026
LOCATION Hove, Sussex CLIENT Brighton & Hove City Council TEAM Hadron GT3 Architects Engenuity VZDV Harper Environmental CONTRACTOR Wilmott Dixon STATUS Planning Application lodged March 2026
