Contractor BAM has been named to progress the development of Amersham's latest community and leisure space.

The new Chiltern Lifestyle Centre will replace the current ageing facility, Chiltern Pools.

Work on the site is set to begin next month with the centre scheduled to open by the end of 2021.

To prepare for work commencing, Amersham Library has been temporarily relocated to the council offices at King George V House as the building will be demolished and the library will be in the new centre. Library services have been working with the project team on the design for the new library in the Chiltern Lifestyle Centre.

The outdoor facilities on the Chiltern Pools site will be the next thing to change. A new skate park is going to be built, and following feedback from local skaters on the design, we have made some tweaks to the design to ensure it is the best possible facility to suit skaters' needs. 

The outdoor gym, street snooker and table tennis will be relocated at the rear of the new centre, along with a new play area.


The outdoor play areas will close on Monday 18 November and are due to reopen in early 2020, followed by the new skate park opening shortly afterwards.

A second outdoor play area will open at the front of the site after the new centre is built.

The intention is to reuse the newer play equipment which was provided in 2015 and replace the older equipment.


The astroturf Multi-Use Games Area at will also be closed on Monday 18 November and a new indoor sports hall will be built as part of the Chiltern Lifestyle Centre, which will replace the outdoor Multi-Use Games Area.

Cllr Mike Stannard, Deputy Leader of Chiltern District Council and Cabinet Member for Support Services said: "After so many years of planning, it is fantastic that we are finally at the stage where work is starting on site.

"This is a major development, and our priority is to ensure minimal impact on residents, Chiltern Pools users and staff whilst the work takes place.

"We are trying to keep as many facilities available as possible during the work but there are inevitably going to be periods of time when some of the usual facilities are out of action. We have tried to time this to minimise inconvenience for residents, so for example the outdoor play areas will be closed during the winter months when they are less well used due to the weather.

"I am delighted that local residents have had so much input into the plans so far - from the initial public consultations we did to the local skaters giving their thoughts on the design for the new skate park this month.

"This is a really exciting development which will benefit local people for generations to come and I am delighted that we are at the stage where work is about to begin."

(CM/MH)